Details of Railway Accidents in the Ottawa Area

1936, September 28 - Crossing collision Ironside, CPR., Maniwaki  sub., three injured

Ottawa Journal  29 September 1936 Three Men Injured in Level Crossing Crash Trurk Struck by Passengerr Train at Ironside. Two of Those Hurt in Serious Condition. One Man Escapes By Jumping Before Impact. Other Rescued From Cabin of Wrecked Truck on C.P.R Right of Way When the rear of a truck proceeding north on the Hull-Maniwaki highway was struck by the C.P.R. passenger train at Ironside crossing shortly before five o'clock yesterday afternoon three men were injured and a fourth escaped by jumping from the truck a moment before the impact. The truck was almost completely wrecked. The Injured, who are all in the Sacred Heart Hospital. Hull, are: Adelard Brossard. aged 46, Poltimore. driver of the truck, head injuries and probably internal injuries, serious but not critical. Charles Tomkeawez. aged 61. Low, Que, fractured collar bone and head injuries, not serious. Hermenegilde Dagenais aged 30, St. Pierre de Wakefield, fractured left hip, serious head injuries and internal injuries, serious but not critical. Jumped Before Crash. John Easy of Low. Que., was seated in the body of the truck and jumped when he saw that a collision was inevitable. He was not injured. According to Traffic Officer Hamel. who investigated the accident. Brossard. who is doing transportation work between Poltimore and Hull, was returning home shortly before five o'clock. He apparently did not notice the approach of the train. Easy was the first to see the danqer and shouted to the men in the front seat. Tomkeawez and Dagenais, who were seated with the driver Brossard heard their companion's shouts and seeing their danger, cried to the driver to increase his speed. Brossard did all that was possible then to avoid the accident but it was too late. The locomotive struck the right rear wheel and carried the truck more than 30 feet along the right-of-way. The three men were still in the cabin of the trurk when rescued by passing motorists. They were taken to hospital in an ambulance called from Hull. The train was brought to an immediate stop and the crew did everything possible to aid the injured men. At this crossing there is no electric signal or crossing gates but there is a clear view for more than half a mile in each direction The crossing also bears the signs that motorists must come to a full stop before passing over the railway tracks. In the past few months there have been several accidents at this crossing but none have been fatal accidents. The train was in charge of Conductor H. Bell of Ottawa, with James Dunlop of Ottawa, engineer. At the hospital late last night it was stated that all three men have good chance of recovery Bill McConnell writes (September 2020) My 1921 map shows the only road crossing the RR near Ironside station is the one going to Kingsmere. The station was just north of this road. During my time, the Ottawa-Maniwaki (route 11) highway was always east of the Ironside station and the RR. During the 1930s, the only work on the lower Rte 11 was a section from Chelsea to the Tip Top which was rebuilt. I remember traversing this section on a Sunday night when my mother and I were in my cousin's car that was having a tough time getting thru the construction.

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Updated 25 September 2020