Amanda Collins and her four-year-old daughter Madison are lucky to be alive following a train collision in Île-Perrot that totalled her Toyota Yaris on Wednesday afternoon.
“It all happened really fast,” she told Global News. “I literally just jumped out of the car.”
“I said ‘Madison get out.’ She unbuckled her seat belt just as I had got out of the car.”
The incident occurred around 3 p.m. while Collins was driving near the train station on Perrot Boulevard. Collins said her car was stuck in the snow at the crossing, which involves tracks owned by CN Rail.
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A CN spokesperson said the collision is under investigation, but that clearing the intersection is the responsibility of the town of Île-Perrot.
A town spokesperson told Global News the intersection had been cleared by a snow removal team about one hour before the accident occurred.
Some residents who live in the area told Global News the intersection has two issues: it’s steep and some snow removal trucks raise the blades of their vehicles in an effort to avoid striking the rails.
For Collins, it was too close of a call.
“It could have been my daughter,” Collins said.
“It was really close — like seconds and for that to happen to anyone is not okay.”