Three teenagers, aged 17, 18 and 19 were killed in the early morning of Sunday, October 31st when they were hit by a Via Rail passenger train under the west side of the Turcot interchange. The young men were allegedly trespassing in order to spray paint some support pillars when a train coming from Toronto to Montreal came through at roughly 3 o’clock in the morning.

 

Police and Via Rail spokespersons confirmed that because of the location they were in, the group would not have been able to hear the train coming, and that if engineers had spotted the group on the tracks, would not have been able to stop in time.

 

This devastating trauma comes right before the beginning of Safe Crossing Week in Canada (November 1st to 7th, 2010). SafeKids Canada, in partnership with CN has organized a number of educational campaigns throughout the country this week to inform children and teenagers about how severe injuries can be prevented by paying closer attention to railway crossing signs and avoiding areas meant for railway circulation only.

 

Make sure to talk to your kids about how to navigate through traffic and empower them to make responsible decisions so that they are less likely to take unnecessary risks. Children tend to have a limited comprehension of dangerous situations - walk with your child and discuss rail safety at a level they can understand. As your child grows and matures, making safe choices will become second nature.