A VIA Rail Train Collided With Car In Ottawa & It Was Dragged 1,500 Metres Down The Track
If you were riding a VIA Rail train Monday night in Ottawa, you may have gotten more excitement than you paid for.
Ottawa Fire Services responded to a collision between a car and a VIA Rail train at 7:15 p.m. on October 24 at the intersection of Piperville Road and Boundary Road, according to a tweet posted at 8:39 p.m.
\u201cAt 19:17, @OttFire responded for a collision between a train & car at Piperville Rd & Boundary Rd. No injuries to the single occupant inside the car. Firefighters assessed the 117 passengers & no injuries.#OttNews 1/2\n\n\ud83d\udcf8 OFS Photographer Jean Lalonde\u201d— Ottawa Fire Services (@Ottawa Fire Services) 1666658392
The collision left quite the scene on the tracks. The red car was crumpled at the front of the train, but despite the damage, Ottawa Fire Services said the single occupant did not sustain any injuries because he managed to exit the vehicle prior to the incident.
117 passengers were on the train at the time of the collision, and Ottawa fire services said they were assessed with no injuries.
In a follow-up tweet, Ottawa Fire Services said the vehicle "was dragged approximately 1500 m east down the tracks."
\u201cThe vehicle was dragged approximately 1500m east down the tracks. Firefighters checked for leaks on the train & disconnected the vehicle battery. A hose line was pulled as a precaution. #OttNews 2/2\u201d— Ottawa Fire Services (@Ottawa Fire Services) 1666658392
Firefighters on the scene apparently checked the train for leaks and disconnected the vehicle's battery. According to the tweet, firefighters also brought out a hose line as a precaution.
Several photos posted of the scene show the backend of the vehicle was totalled. However, the driver's seat appeared relatively intact.
Ottawa Police told Narcity the incident is being investigated by VIA Rail.
VIA Rail told Narcity in a statement that a train "travelling from Ottawa to Montreal struck a vehicle at mile post 65.93 on the Alexandria Sub last evening."
The train company confirmed the driver of the vehicle exited the car before the collision.
Narcity reached out to Ottawa Fire Services for comment but did not hear back in time for publication.
