High speed caused deadly train derailment west of Toronto
Posted Mar 1, 2012 10:07:53 AM.
This article is more than 5 years old.
RICHMOND HILL, Ont. – Investigators say excessive high speed caused a deadly train derailment west of Toronto that killed three engineers and injured 45 passengers.
The Transportation Safety Board says the train was travelling at 67 mph when it derailed while switching tracks west of Toronto on Sunday.
The speed limit while changing tracks is 15 mph _ meaning the train was going more than four times faster than it should have been.
Investigators say the train’s black box also shows the brakes were not applied before the crash.
The train’s black box is key in the probe _ it records the train’s speed, brake pressure, when the brakes were applied, and whether the whistle was blowing.
CN, which owns the tracks and leases them to Via, has also said it investigated the tracks before the crash and found no signs of deterioration or wear, and police have ruled out any criminal wrongdoing.
Passenger injuries ranged from minor to a broken leg, a back injury and a heart attack.
The train’s locomotive and one passenger car flipped onto their sides and crashed into a small building next to the tracks as a result of the accident, while another passenger car was left leaning precariously in the aftermath.
Three other cars were vacant.
