By Canadian Press

Families of workers killed in B.C. train derailment allege negligence in lawsuit

Apr 19, 2021 | 1:11 PM

FIELD, B.C. — Families of two of three people killed in a train derailment near the British Columbia-Alberta boundary have filed lawsuits alleging negligence.

The westbound Canadian Pacific train was parked on a grade and had its air brakes on in February 2019, when it started rolling on its own, gaining speeds far above the limit for the mountain pass near Field, B.C.

The Transportation Safety Board has said handbrakes were not applied and the train barrelled along for just over three kilometres before it derailed at a curve ahead of a bridge.

The derailment sent 99 grain cars and two locomotives off the tracks

Conductor Dylan Paradis, engineer Andrew Dockrell and trainee Daniel Waldenberger-Bulmer were in the lead locomotive and were killed. 

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The claims filed in B.C. Supreme Court by the families of Paradis and Dockrell name the rail company, its CEO, board of directors, CP police and the minister of transport.

The lawsuits allege the workers weren’t provided a safe work environment, CP Rail failed to follow safety procedures and the company’s police force should not have been allowed to do the investigation into the crash.

No statements of defence have been filed and the allegations have not been proven in court.

The Canadian Press