Witness describes fatal cyclist collision on Edmonton LRT: ‘I heard a man scream’

EDITOR’S NOTE: Police determined Tuesday that it was a 40-year-old man who died, not a man in his 30s, as initially stated.

A witness to Monday afternoon’s fatal LRT incident is still disturbed by what she heard and saw at Clareview LRT Station.

Marie Markiewicz said she was running up the stairs to the west transit platform just after 3 p.m. when she heard a man scream.

“He was screaming repeatedly: ‘Help me! Help me! Help me!’ When I reached the platform, I saw the train started to depart but I didn’t see the man. I tried to look — as the train was going farther — I tried to look at the tracks to see any sign, if a body was there or something, but there wasn’t.

“I tried to look at the train, still no sign of him. But his voice sounded like he was screaming from either under the train or on the other side of the train,” Markiewicz said.

“As the train got farther away, his voice kind of faded too.

“When he screamed there was an echo in his voice. I knew he was trapped,” she recalled. “I knew he was outside the train. It wasn’t a muffled sound. It didn’t sound like he was in the train.”

Edmonton police said a 40-year-old man “with a bicycle was on the platform of the Clareview LRT Station” at about 3:20 p.m.

“As the southbound train pulled away, the train came into contact with the male causing injuries.

“EMS responded, however, the male succumbed to his injuries on scene,” police said in a news release Monday night.

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In a statement on Tuesday, the city said the incident involved “a transit rider with an accompanying bicycle.”

1:48 Man hit by LRT found dead along tracks in northeast Edmonton

Markiewicz started riding the LRT last year to get to and from school.

“I’ve never experienced anything like that. I was taken aback. I kind of froze, like: ‘Oh my God, what did I just witness?’

“I was petrified. I was frozen.”

She said another train arrived shortly after. Several passengers, including Markiewicz, sat down before transit operators told them service had been shut down.

“I did ask: ‘What happened? Was it involving… I heard a man not too long ago,’ and they didn’t say anything, they said they didn’t know.”

Markiewicz said what she witnessed has made her much more wary of taking transit.

“I will continue riding the LRT but… what if something happens to me? Is help going to come for me or is it going to be delayed?

“His voice was just in my mind for the whole evening… especially after I found out he died.”

Edmonton Police Service’s major collision investigations section (MCIS) investigated the fatality and determined Tuesday it “does not involve a criminal element.”

The investigation now rests with Edmonton Transit, EPS said.

0:55 Cyclist dies after collision with LRT in northeast Edmonton

The union representing Edmonton Transit Service workers earlier cautioned against laying blame or jumping to conclusions.

“Our understanding, at this point, is that the fatal incident… is not in a preventable category for anybody,” said Steve Bradshaw, president business agent the Amalgamated Transit Union Local 569.

He added he believes “it was an accident, pure and simple.”

Bradshaw said the city could look into some additional safety features along the LRT tracks.

“We have technologies in every industry that help save lives — whether it’s on an assembly line or on something like a moving walkway at an airport. There are whistles and bells and alarms that tell people the end is coming. We need to have those kind of things on our LRT system as well,” he said.

“This does not need to happen.”

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Bradshaw offered condolences to the cyclist’s loved ones.

“We send our sympathy and our commiserations to the family and friends of this individual. No one needs to die like this.”

Mayor Amarjeet Sohi also expressed his sympathy to the man’s family and the city workers involved. He said there will be an investigation done of the incident and if there are things to be improved, ETS will look into that.

“Our deepest condolences and thoughts are with family and friends of the individual involved, as well as those affected by the incident,” said Carrie Hotton-MacDonald with Edmonton Transit. “We appreciate the assistance of police, fire transit peace officers and medical staff who helped on site.”

City employees involved were offered crisis counselling and peer support.

Anyone with any information is asked to contact the EPS at 780-423-4567 or #377 from a mobile phone. Anonymous information can also be submitted to Crime Stoppers at 1-800-222-8477 or online.