A bereaved father denounces poor signaling surrounding the level crossing where his son died, hit head-on by a train he did not see in Val-Brillant on Thursday.
• Read also: Collision with a train: a young man loses his life in Val-Brillant
“It’s dangerous, this sector. There are trees hiding the arrival of the train and there is no barrier!” laments Jocelyn Thompson, the day after the tragedy.
Around 3:45 p.m. Thursday, his son, Denis, was going to work on a farm in the area when the unthinkable happened near the intersection of Chemin de la Fauvette and Rue Saint-Pierre Est.
A path that the 28-year-old young man had nevertheless taken daily, several times a day, for several years.
A makeshift cross was placed at the site of the tragedy.
Photo provided by Jocelyn Thompson
“It’s a total disaster for us, it creates a huge hole that will be difficult to fill. That child was as gentle as a lamb, everyone loved him,” Mr. Thompson breathes, a tremor in his voice.
“We spoke just before he left, he was going to visit me in the evening. At least I got to hear his voice one last time. I told him I loved him,” adds the father.
Several factors
According to Jocelyn Thompson, the icy road and the lack of visibility of the level crossing were partly responsible for the impact.
It must be said that there is no protective barrier at this location to prevent motorists from passing when a locomotive approaches, but only a “STOP” sign.
Jocelyn Thompson, father of Denis Thompson.
Photo taken from Jocelyn Thompson’s Facebook
“When he realized the train was coming, it was already too late to brake. He died instantly,” he explains.
Blindness from the sun could also have been a contributing factor in the collision, according to Sûreté du Québec spokesperson Frédéric Deshaies.
Canadian National (CN) police officers and SQ investigators went to the site to analyze the scene and better understand what could have led to the impact.
Police officers were still on site the day after the tragedy.
Provided by Jocelyn Thompson
Who is responsible?
Asked about the role of the municipality in the signaling surrounding the level crossing concerned, the general director of Val-Brillant, Michaël Vignola, assured that stop signs were installed there “in accordance with the standards in force”.
“[Mais] the safety of private level crossings is not the responsibility of the municipality, but of CN and the owners of the access road,” he emphasizes.
Dennis Thompson
Photo taken from facebook by Denis Thompson
Contacted by The newspaper, a CN spokesperson instead threw the ball back to Transport Canada, stipulating that this element was the responsibility of the federal organization. The latter, for her part, did not respond to our interview request.