Alcohol a factor in 2021 Ontario train crash: TSB
Global News
The Sept. 2, 2021 crash saw four locomotives and 16 cars derail after a CN train heading west to Toronto crashed into another CN train on a side track in the town of Prescott.
Alcohol consumption played a role in a 2021 head-on crash between two freight trains that left several crew members injured and destroyed hundreds of feet of track in Prescott Ont., the Transportation Safety Board (TSB) of Canada says.
The Sept. 2, 2021 crash saw four locomotives and 16 cars derail after a CN train heading west to Toronto (train 149) crashed into another CN train (train 532) on a side track near Edward Street in the town of Prescott.
One crew member was seriously injured while another sustained minor injuries in the crash, the TSB said in a report released Wednesday.
The report says a manually operated switch connecting the side track to the mainline had been routed incorrectly and cites alcohol consumption by the rail traffic controller (RTC) as a contributing factor in the crash.
“Under CN’s Policy to Prevent Workplace Alcohol and Drug Problems, the RTC submitted to a mandatory post-accident breath alcohol test; the results indicated that the RTC was either drinking alcohol at the beginning of his shift or had significant alcohol intake the early morning of or the night before work,” the TSB said in a media release Wednesday.
“The RTC’s performance and level of attention were likely affected by the persistent effects of alcohol consumption.”
According to the report the RTC’s blood alcohol level was tested and found to be 0.023 roughly two hours after the crash.
A subsequent review done by a third-party provider of workplace medical testing and assessments estimated his BAC to have been between 0.044 and 0.069 at the time of the crash, and between 0.064 and 0.109 at the start of his shift.