Commuters cite crowding after man killed under train at Union
Droves of people climb the stairway of Platform 11-12 at Union Station at the end of their workday and find themselves on a crowded concrete island between two tracks.
Some are perilously close to yellow caution markings roughly a foot from the edge and, what with backpacks, briefcases and the sheer volume of people, it’s easy to get jostled just a bit closer. It’s the height of rush hour in Toronto, and crowds are no surprise.
This routine commute proved fatal for Daniel Panacci on Tuesday evening when his backpack got caught on a train’s locomotive and the 31-year-old was dragged underneath as the Barrie-bound train was leaving the platform.
The victim was dragged a short distance, but the driver did not realize anyone had been struck until contacted by transit officials a short time later, Metrolinx spokeswoman Anne Marie Aikins said.
GO Transit staff performed CPR on the man until emergency responders arrived on the scene.
According to police, the Royal Bank of Canada employee had been walking in the area of an elevator structure, where there are yellow caution markings. The platform was crowded with commuters when the fatality occurred at 5:30 p.m., the height of the evening rush.
“The platforms are really narrow, especially around the stairway access (structures),” says Harry Chang, a regular GO Train commuter from Unionville. “There’s really little room to get around them.”
Another commuter said the platforms are simply too crowded at rush hour.
“You’re always standing right on that boundary line,” said Emily Reedyk, who takes the GO Train from Whitby. “People have bags, and that’s like adding another person. I feel like I’ve been too close before.”
Aikins said Platform 11-12 is one of the wider platforms and there was no active construction at the time of the accident.
“We ask people to be very, very mindful when they’re around trains,” she said Wednesday morning. “Every step you’re taking, the people around you, your circumstances — be aware at all times.”
She noted there are train parts that protrude slightly, “but they make them in such a way that they’re smooth.”
Aikins said the tragic incident appears to have been an accident, but police are still investigating and no conclusions have been reached.
“Quite a number of staff were immediately in the area, so we do have lots of staff and they’re always watching out, but there’s only so much you can do,” she said. “All of us have to take personal responsibility.”
GO Transit will conduct an internal investigation to see if there is anything that can be done to make the platforms safer, she added.
“There’s lots of room. We transport, like all transit systems do at rush hour, millions of people. They get on and off those trains very safely … this just looks like it was something tragic. I don’t know if there’s going to be anything that can change.”
Aikins said the Union GO station sees about a quarter of a million commuters a day.
After the man failed to show up at work, coworkers soon contacted local media to report that the victim was Panacci, a resident of Peel Region.
RBC confirmed that the deceased was an employee and in a widely circulated statement said, “We are deeply saddened by this tragic accident.”
Social media accounts linked to Panacci were marked private, but contained photographs of a fit young man participating in competitive runs and the Becel Heart&Stroke Ride for Heart.
Panacci also appeared to be a frequent critic of the agency connected to his death. His Twitter feed contained several notifications from GO Transit in response to reports of delays or security incidents.
Metrolinx president and CEO Bruce McCuaig released a statement Wednesday afternoon expressing his condolences to Panacci’s family.
“Our hearts go out to the individual’s loved ones during this very difficult time, as well as the passengers and staff who have been impacted.”
Dozens of people would have witnessed the incident, which came during Rail Safety Week. This was the second fatality this year involving a GO transit vehicle. A bus rollover in January on Highway 407 left a 56-year-old female passenger dead.