A former train conductor is offering his condolences to the family of a 17-year-old who died earlier this week after being hit by a train in northwest Calgary.
The Calgary Police Service said the incident happened 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 of his injuries.
Lou Schillaci, a former train conductor who spent decades on the railroads, is reminding people to stay away from railroad tracks.
He said if a conductor sees someone on the tracks, there often isn’t enough time to stop.
“A regular sized train of 90 to 120 cars, travelling at 55 miles an hour, takes over a mile to stop once they’ve put in emergency application of brakes,” he said.
Schillaci offered his condolences to the teen’s family and said these kinds of incidents can leave a lasting impact on those involved, their families as well as passengers on the train.
“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 go back when they’ve been involved in something like this.”
After a train stops, Schillaci said the conductor is often the first one on scene.
“That’s something that will never go away. They’ll dream about it and have nightmares,” he said.
CPKC has put up fences and warning signs surrounding the tracks to keep people away from the area in hopes of deterring the practice.
“The tragic accident Tuesday on the railway bridge remains under investigation,” Patrick Waldron, a CPKC spokesperson, told Global News Wednesday.
but it’s not stopping onlookers from returning to the scene of the accident.
Schillaci said people need to stay away.
“You won’t find a seasoned railroader that will walk down the middle of the track,” he said
“We never go in between those rails.”