Former conductor issues warning after deadly Bowness train incident – Calgary

A former train driver is offering his condolences to the family of a 17-year-old boy who died earlier this week after being hit by a train in northwest Calgary.

The Calgary Police Service said the incident occurred Tuesday afternoon on a set of train tracks east of 85th Street Northwest, near a bridge in the northwest community of Bowness.

The teenager, who was a student at Bowness High School, was taken to hospital in critical condition. He later died from his injuries.

Lou Schillaci, a former train driver who spent decades on railroads, reminds people to stay off train tracks.

He said if a driver sees someone on the tracks, they often don’t have enough time to stop.

“A full-size train of 90 to 120 cars, traveling at 55 miles per hour, takes more than a mile to stop once the emergency brakes have been applied,” he said.

2:20
Calgary teen fatally hit by train was about to graduate

Schillaci offered his condolences to the teen’s family and said these types of incidents can leave a lasting impact on those involved, their families and the train passengers.

“When you see it, when it happens, it’s just traumatic for the crew,” he said.

“I’ve known some who have never been able to come back when they were involved in something like this.”

After a train stops, Schillaci said the conductor is usually the first to arrive at the scene.

“That’s something that will never go away. They dream about it and have nightmares,” she said.

CPKC has placed fences and warning signs around the tracks to keep people away from the area in hopes of deterring the practice.

“Tuesday’s tragic accident on the railroad bridge remains under investigation,” CPKC spokesman Patrick Waldron told Global News on Wednesday.

but that doesn’t stop spectators from returning to the accident site.

Schillaci said people should stay away.

“You won’t find an experienced railroad man walking down the middle of the track,” he said.

“We never get between those rails.”

&copy 2024 Global News, a division of Corus Entertainment Inc.