Sask. woman asleep on tracks only has minor injuries after train screeches to stop over her
The Prince Albert Fire Department responded to an unusual call on Thursday morning involving a woman sleeping between the rails of a train track near Superstore.
A train came screeching to a stop on top of her and she escaped with minor injuries.
Deputy Chief Alex Paul said it was a matter of inches between the bottom of the train engine and the woman. If the train had gone much farther it could have been fatal.
“The train coming along, at the last minute realized that it was a person on the tracks and they applied the emergency brake,” Deputy Chief Paul said. “The locomotive came to a stop just a little bit over the top of the person, so there was no actual contact between the train and the person.”
Paul said fire crews were able to free the woman from under the train and EMS transported her to hospital with only minor injuries, likely unrelated to the train.
While the tracks are private property and marked with no trespassing signs, Paul said it’s still common for people to take shortcuts through the rail yard.
“It’s not that common to have people that are injured on the tracks or hit by trains, but it is common knowledge that people use the rail yard as a cut-through from one area of the city to another,” he said.
“Obviously we would recommend that people do not cross through the rail yard. It is private property, and it’s never safe to be walking near train tracks. You never know where a train may come, and there's multiple tracks side by side.”
According to data from the Transportation Safety Board of Canada, there were 39 trespasser fatalities in 2020.
The tracks are operated by Carlton Trail Railways.
CTVNews.ca Top Stories
BREAKING Monthly earnings rise, payroll employment falls: jobs report
The number of vacant jobs in Canada increased in February, while monthly payroll employment decreased in food services, manufacturing, and retail trade, among other sectors.
Doctors say capital gains tax changes will jeopardize their retirement. Is that true?
The Canadian Medical Association asserts the Liberals' proposed changes to capital gains taxation will put doctors' retirement savings in jeopardy, but some financial experts insist incorporated professionals are not as doomed as they say they are.
Something in the water? Canadian family latest to spot elusive 'Loch Ness Monster'
For centuries, people have wondered what, if anything, might be lurking beneath the surface of Loch Ness in Scotland. When Canadian couple Parry Malm and Shannon Wiseman visited the Scottish highlands earlier this month with their two children, they didn’t expect to become part of the mystery.
What do weight loss drugs mean for a diet industry built on eating less and exercising more?
Recent injected drugs like Wegovy and its predecessor, the diabetes medication Ozempic, are reshaping the health and fitness industries.
2 military horses that broke free and ran loose across London are in serious condition
Two military horses that bolted and ran miles through the streets of London after being spooked by construction noise and tossing their riders were in a serious condition and required operations, a British government official said Thursday.
'It was instant karma': Viral video captures failed theft attempt in Nanaimo, B.C.
Mounties in Nanaimo, B.C., say two late-night revellers are lucky their allegedly drunken antics weren't reported to police after security cameras captured the men trying to steal a heavy sign from a downtown business.
Fair in Ontario, flurries in Labrador: Weather systems make for an erratic spring
It's no secret that spring can be a tumultuous time for Canadian weather, and as an unseasonably mild El Nino winter gives way to summer, there's bound to be a few swings in temperature that seem out of the ordinary. From Ontario to the Atlantic, though, this week is about to feel a little erratic.
He replaced Mickey Mantle. Now baseball's oldest living major leaguer is turning 100
The oldest living former major leaguer, Art Schallock turns 100 on Thursday and is being celebrated in the Bay Area and beyond as the milestone approaches.
What a urologist wants you to know about male infertility
When opposite sex couples are trying and failing to get pregnant, the attention often focuses on the woman. That’s not always the case.