WATCH: Toronto police are investigating how a man managed to get dragged under the locomotive of the GO train Tuesday, and are warning other riders to stay clear of the yellow line. Catherine McDonald reports.
TORONTO – An investigation is underway after a 31-year-old man was dragged and killed by a GO Transit train as it was departing Union Station in downtown Toronto on Tuesday.
Surveillance video of the incident shows a man wearing a bag or article of clothing getting snagged on the train as it pulled out.
The victim was subsequently dragged underneath the train and GO personnel did not initially realize someone was struck.
The incident happened around 5:30 p.m. when the train platform was busy with rush-hour crowds.
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Metrolinx spokesperson Anne Marie Aikins said the train was heading to Barrie, Ont., and the driver was unaware the locomotive hit someone.
“Transit safety officers were there moments after the incident,” said Aikins. “We do have lots of staff and they are always watching off. There is only so much they can do.”
Const. Clint Stibbe from the Toronto Police Service said Wednesday he could provide few details, as investigators examine all possibilities.
“We’re treating this no different than a homicide investigation,” said Stibbe. “It is still a death investigation. Even though it is still considered under a traffic fatality.”
Stibbe said the man was walking eastbound on the platform when he made contact with the westbound train. He couldn’t confirm if it was a backpack or an article of the man’s clothing that got caught.
“In order for you to essentially be struck by that train, you have to be within that operating area. And that is the yellow cautionary area. So at some point, he got inside that area.”
Stibbe said police see all too often people in a rush to get somewhere and taking chances with their safety.
“It’s something that needs to be adressed with everbody,” said Stibbe. “Commuters make a choice to decide where they walk, they make a choice to decide how much of a chance they want to take, how close they want to stand.”
Overcrowding on the platform and whether someone else was involved are two of the factors police are investigating. Toronto police are asking anyone with information to come forward.
“We still have to look at the entire chain of events.”
A day after the incident RBC confirmed the man was one of its employees.
“We are deeply saddened by this tragic accident. Our thoughts are with our colleague’s family during this very difficult time.”
It has been a tough year for GO Transit as a 56-year-old woman was killed on a GO bus after it crashed on Highway 407 north of Toronto on Jan. 14.
The driver of the bus involved in the fatal rollover has since been charged with careless driving.
Aikins said Metrolinx, the regional transit agency which operates GO Transit, will conduct its own internal investigation to determine if more could have been done to prevent the tragedy.
“We have one of the safest systems in North America,” she said. “This is really rare for it to happen.”
Aikins said commuters should be mindful of where they stand on the platforms and to stay away from the yellow caution zones.
With files from Catherine McDonald
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