Workers hit by train in stable condition

Three rail workers hit by a train as they were clearing snow off the tracks Wednesday are all expected to survive, their employer says.

Two workers who were brought to hospital in critical condition have since been upgraded to stable condition, while the third man has relatively minor injuries, A&B Rail Services Ltd. said Thursday.

“They are in as good as condition as can be expected, but it’s not life threatening,” said Paul Brum, president of A&B Rail Services, which is contracted by CN Rail. “This has been really tough on everybody. We’re a pretty tight family.”

The most seriously injured is a 20-year-old man, who is expected to be in hospital for some time. The other two workers are 28 and 32, respectively. They are expected to be released within the next day or two, Brum said.

“Hopefully this never has to happen again,” he said. “We sincerely regret this happened and we will do our best to get to the bottom of this.”

The three workers were struck shortly after 9 a.m. on Boxing Day while clearing snow from tracks at Meridian Street and Hayter Road in the city’s northeast. The men were all wearing ear protection while using snow blowers and did not hear the approaching train, Edmonton police said.

Police said the engineer failed to get the workers’ attention and didn’t have enough time to stop the train, which was going about 40 kilometres per hour when the men were hit.

It is unclear whether any of the snow-blowing crew was watching the tracks for danger. Asked whether his employees were following proper safety procedures, Brum said he hopes those details will come out Friday as various investigations take place.

“We want to give you the right information. When you do an investigation, there can be a lot of critical questions asked, and we are trying to get the answers without pushing too hard,” he said.

One of the investigating bodies, Alberta Occupational Health and Safety, placed a stop-work order on the company Thursday. The order is limited to on-track cleaning and maintenance involving “noise-generating equipment,” OHS spokesman Louwrens Olivier said.

It will stay in place until investigators say otherwise, he said.

Brum said Wednesday’s accident was the first serious incident his company has been involved in since it was founded in 1965. A&B Rail Services has more than 500 employees in B.C., Alberta, Saskatchewan, Manitoba and Ontario, but about 250 of those are based out of the head office in Edmonton.

The incident is also being investigated by CN Rail.

The names of the three workers have not been released.