MONTREAL – A 30 year-old woman is lucky to be alive after her legs were completely severed by a CN freight train when the wheels ran over her lower body in the Old Port of Montreal.
The woman was one of three individuals who tried to climb over the couplers between two cars while the train was stopped at the level crossing near de la Commune street and Bonsecours.
Two individuals made it over but the train started to move as she crossed.
Police officers say she lost her footing and slipped under the wheels.
There are no barriers or lights at the crossing but an Old Montreal security vehicle was parked in front of the train to warn people not to cross.
The train – which was nearly 8,000 feet long – had stopped for eight minutes so the locomotive could be changed to a Port of Montreal engine from a CN one.
There are two trains that pass this crossing a day.
A spokesperson for the Montreal Port Authority says there used to be barriers at the crossing but they were removed 30 years ago to facilitate traffic as the area turned into a recreational and touristic destination from industrial.
“It’s the first major incident we have in the last 30 years,” Yves Gilson said.
Gilson says meetings will be held in the near future to review safety measures.
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