Railway safety highlighted after 2019 incident where woman and child were hit by Go train
CTV
It's been more than three years since a woman and child were hit by a GO train crossing Lancaster Street in Kitchener.
It's been more than three years since a woman and child were hit by a GO train crossing Lancaster Street in Kitchener.
On Thursday, the Transportation Safety Board of Canada (TSB) released its report on the incident, saying a number of issues at the crossing led to the crash and multiple levels of oversight were unaware of the safety concerns.
“This accident illustrates the critical and pervasive issue of railway crossing safety, which is the second leading cause of fatalities in the railway sector,” said TSB Chair Kathy Fox in the report. “Crossing safety is a shared responsibility. Pedestrians and motorists need to obey the rules at crossings; and the railways, road authorities and regulator need to communicate with each other when risks are identified and take appropriate action to improve safety and prevent further crossing accidents.”
The incident happened in November of 2019, and left a woman and a child seriously injured.
According to the TSB report, the woman and child were part of a group of six adults and five children on their way back from playing at a park when they stopped and briefly waited at a railway crossing.
According to the TSB, a pedestrain crossed the track heading towards the group as a CN train pulled away.