New video shows moments before Ottawa LRT train derailed
On the final day of public hearings into Ottawa’s light rail transit, the commission saw new video that showed a train leaving Tremblay station moments before it derailed last September.
During Rideau Transit Maintenance CEO Mario Guerra’s testimony, city of Ottawa lawyer Catherine Gleason-Mercier showed the commission video of the train leaving Tremblay station before it derailed.
“Do you recognize the gentleman who just stepped off the train?” asks Gleason-Mercier. “Is it Mr. Steven Nadon, the maintenance director?”
Guerra agrees the man in the video is Nadon, the maintenance director of Rideau Transit Mainetnance.
Gleason-Mercier said Nadon told a commission lawyer that he “he heard a clank sound beneath him and he thought a cable had come lose or that something was dragging and as such he told his wife to get off because he didn’t think he was going to make it.”
Gleason-Mercier then asks Guerra: “You will agree with me that Mr. Nadon got off the train but he didn’t take any action to stop this train, he didn’t hit the passenger emergency intercom did he? He didn’t put his foot in the door.”
Guerra says he felt there was no need to take such actions, as there was no way Nadon could have known the train was going to derail. He followed procedures by bringing the sounds and attention to maintenance crews.
In an interview with a commission lawyer earlier this year, Nadon said he was on the train prior to its derailment with his family, including his grandchildren, who were on it for the first time.
“We took it from Blair … between St-Laurent and Tremblay. I had heard a clinging sound beneath me and I thought a cable had come loose, or something was dragging. So I told my wife, ‘We're going to get off at the next station because I don't think this train is going to make it to our final destination, it's going to get pulled out of service.’” Nadon told the commission.
“So we got out at the train station at Tremblay, and I was on my phone calling the control centre to say, ‘Take this train out of service,’ when the train departed. And as it departed it kicked ballast up all over the platform. Immediately I knew it had been derailed.”
Nadon said he remained on the phone trying to get the train to stop.
The lawyer for Alstom, Michael Valo also showing the commission new video of that shows the train leaving Tremblay station on Sept. 19. Black dust and ballast from the track can be seen scraping the vehicle.
“I believe that the dust and the flare-up should have been visible, because it is quite straight in that area,” says Guerra.
Valo then referenced the investigation report looking into the derailment. Valo highlighted inattention was identified by OC Transpo as the contributing factors, as well as a “human waste smell” inside the light rail vehicle.
Earlier in the public hearings OC Transpo’s Troy Charter says that a human waste smell was identified on the train.
The cause of the derailment was later identified as loose bolts that were not properly secure.
The public hearings wrap up Thursday. The commission report is due on Aug. 31 to the Ministry of Transportation, but there is an option to extend that deadline to Nov. 31
CTVNews.ca Top Stories
Spectacular aurora light show to be seen across Canada Friday night
A rare and severe solar storm is expected to bring spectacular displays of the northern lights, also known as aurora borealis, across much of Canada and parts of the United States on Friday night.
Town of Fort Nelson, B.C., ordered to evacuate due to wildfire
The entire town of Fort Nelson, B.C., as well as the nearby Fort Nelson First Nation, has been ordered to evacuate due to an out-of-control wildfire.
Bouchard lifts Edmonton Oilers to 4-3 overtime win over Canucks in Game 2
Evan Bouchard scored 5:38 into overtime and the Edmonton Oilers bounced back for a 4-3 win over the Vancouver Canucks in the second round of the Stanley Cup playoffs on Friday.
McGill University seeks emergency injunction to dismantle pro-Palestinian encampment
McGill University has filed a request for an injunction to have the pro-Palestinian encampment removed from its campus.
Which Canadian cities have the highest and lowest grocery prices?
Where you live plays a big factor in what you pay at the grocery store. And while it's no secret the same item may have a different price depending on the store, city or province, we wanted to see just how big the differences are, and why.
Swarm of 20,000 bees gather around woman’s car west of Toronto
A swarm of roughly 20,000 bees gathered around a woman’s car in the parking lot of Burlington Centre.
Video shows naked raccoon catching B.C. family by surprise
When Marvin Henschel spotted a strange and hairless creature wandering through a front lawn in B.C.'s Lower Mainland, he could barely believe his eyes.
Barron Trump declines to serve as an RNC delegate
Former U.S. President Donald Trump's youngest son, Barron Trump, has declined to serve as a delegate at this summer’s Republican National Convention, according to a senior Trump campaign adviser and a statement from Melania Trump's office.
Out-of-control wildfire prompts evacuation alert for Fort McMurray, Saprae Creek Estates Friday night
An evacuation alert was issued for two Wood Buffalo communities Friday night, as crews battled an out-of-control wildfire near Fort McMurray.