March 28, 2024

Drugs, cellphones tied to B.C. derailment

VANCOUVER – Marijuana and cellphone use have been implicated in the crash and derailment of two Canadian Pacific Railway trains in southeastern B.C.

A report from the Transportation Safety Board finds the engineer of an eastbound train had traces of marijuana in his system after his freight overran a stop signal and rammed the side of a westbound train near Golden on March 3, 2010.

The TSB report also shows that the crew of the eastbound freight may have been distracted by numerous cellphone calls, with the last one ending about 60 seconds before the collision.

No one was seriously hurt, but three locomotives and 26 boxcars were tossed off the track, more than 11,000 litres of diesel spilled and several homes and businesses had to be evacuated when a track-side propane tank was punctured.

The investigation also shows the eastbound engineer needed lifesaving treatment when he collapsed after drinking about 10 litres of water in hopes of flushing any traces of marijuana from his system.

In response, Canadian Pacific has tightened its prohibition of personal electronic devices while on the job and also plans to introduce saliva testing in January, as part of the company’s battery of drug and alcohol-detecting measures.

Local news from metronews.ca/vancouver

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