CALGARY – The Transportation Safety Board of Canada (TSB) is deploying a team of investigators to the site of a Canadian Pacific train derailment near Field, British Columbia. The TSB will gather information and assess the occurrence.
Three members of the Teamsters Canada Rail Conference (TCRC) have died as a result of a major Canadian Pacific (CP) train derailment. The accident occurred at approximately 1 a.m. Mountain Time between Field, British Columbia and Calgary, Alberta.
The head of CP Rail has issued a statement.
Keith Creel CP President and CEO: “It is with deep sadness that I learned of the passing of three CP family members early this morning. As a westbound grain train was making its way toward Vancouver, it derailed in between the Upper and Lower Spiral Tunnels just east of Field, B.C.
“As a result of the derailment, which occurred at approximately 1 a.m. mountain time, we lost three professional railroaders. The three-person crew included conductor Dylan Paradis, engineer Andrew Dockrell and trainee Daniel Waldenberger-Bulmer.
“In the hours ahead we remain focused on employee safety and the safety of our first responders, in addition to working closely with the families of the deceased and all our employees. This is a tragedy that will have a long-lasting impact on our family of railroaders. The incident is under investigation and we will not speculate at this time on a cause – we owe it to those involved to get it right.
“We are working closely with Parks Canada and other agencies to ensure the environment is not negatively impacted. Recovering will be complex and challenging given the remote location and extreme weather, but with collaboration and communication, we will get there.
“To all those who have offered their thoughts and prayers – thank you. As we work to safely recover from this tragedy, we do so with our fallen colleagues in mind. Our entire railroad family mourns this tragic loss”.
Details are sparse at this stage. Teamsters have learned that the Transportation Safety Board (TSB) has deployed a team of investigators to the crash. The union will cooperate fully with the TSB and CP, monitoring the investigation’s progress closely.
“Our hearts and our deepest condolences go out to the victims’ loved ones and co-workers. Our union and its 125,000 members stand with them in mourning,” said François Laporte, president of Teamsters Canada.
The three victims are believed to be a locomotive engineer, a conductor, and a conductor trainee. Their names have not yet been released.
Eight railway workers have now died in Canada since November 2017. Investigations into these accidents are still ongoing.
“Today, our focus is on this accident as well as the victims’ friends and families. But moving forward, the government and the rail industry will have to recognize that something is wrong and change is needed. Eight workplace fatalities in a little over a year is not something that should be expected or accepted,” said Lyndon Isaack, President of the TCRC.
