Details of Railway Accidents in the Ottawa Area

1930, May 9 - Crossing collision , Pembroke, C.P.R., Chalk River sub., one fatality

Ottawa Journal 9 May 1930 Stanley Graham instantly killed While Grading Highway Machine is hit by C.P.R. Train. Pembroke, May 8th. - Stanley Graham, an employe of the Edgar Irvine Contracting Company, engaged in surfacing the highway between Pembroke and Petawawa, was instantly killed here at 2.45 this afternoon when the tractor which he was driving was struck by the eastbound C.P.R. local. The accident occurred on Moffatt's crossing at the western extremity of main street. Graham had been with the company only two weeks, and at the time of the accident was driving a truck with a grader attached, grading that portion of the road in the vicinity of the crossing. He was coming east towards the crossing, and did not seem to notice the approaching train until Joseph Wasiski, who was operating the grader, shouted to him and called his attention to it. Graham signalled back with a wave of his hand, and stopped a few feet from the track, but a few moments later the tractor moved forward again and had just reached the centre of the track when the oncoming train crashed into it, carrying it down the truck a distance of 200 ft. Graham's body was found about 80 feet from the crossing, completely decapitated and in a terribly mangled condition. Wasiski succeeded in jumping clear before the collision and escaped with only minor injuries to his leg. Just what caused the tractor to move ahead after it had stopped is not positively known. The most likely thing is that Graham, who was none too familiar with the tractor, thinking that it was in neutral gear, release the clutch while the tractor was in forward speed, and had not time to rectify his mistake before the train crashed into him. - - - The body was removed to Malcolm's funeral parlours, where a preliminary inquest was held at 5.30 this afternoon. The jury empaneled by Coroner Dr. D/ Delahey, consisted of C.R. Beal, Foreman; A.M. Thomson, William Cassidy, H.H. Middleton, M.J. Howe, J. Deacon Taylor and R. C. Coxford. After viewing the bodydy the inquest was adjourned until tomorrow morning at 11. 45. Ottawa Citizen 10 May 1930 Train Crew Exonerated From All Culpability Pembroke May 9 - At the inquest here today into the death of Stanley Graham, who was killed yesterday afternoon when a tractor which he was operating was struck by a C.P.R. train, the train crew was exonerated from all blame.

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Updated 6 January 2021