Details of Railway Accidents in the Ottawa Area

1949, February 19 - Canadian Pacific, Crossing Accident at Parkdale Avenue, Carleton Place subdivision sub., one injury

Ottawa Citizen 19 February 1949 Truck Hit By Train Ernest Laliey, 35 Critically Hurt Ernest Lahey, 35 -year-old truck driver, of 135 Hinchey avenue, was  critically injured shortly; after 8:15 o'clock this morning, when, the truck he was driving was struck and totally demolished by the Transcontinental Flyer at the Parkdale avenue-Scott street level crossing. Hurled clear of the wreckage by the terrific impact, the severely injured man was picked up more than 20 feet away from the point of the impact. Rushed to Ottawa Civic Hospital by the Exclusive Ambulance service, Mr. Lahey was found to have sustained a fractured right knee, and broken left arm, severe head and scalp injuries and undetermined multiple internal injuries. His condition is regarded by hospital authorities as critical. War Veteran Sgt. William Cowan and Constable Arthur Poster of No. 2 police station, who investigated the accident, reported that Mr. Lahey, a veteran of the last war. was driving his truck south on Parkdale avenue and over the crossing when the crash occurred. The train, at the time, was slowing down to make a stop at the Ottawa west station. It could not be determined whether the whistle had been sounded. Jack Beath of Smiths Falls, the locomotive engineer, told police he did not see the truck as he approached the 'level crossing and was not aware that the collision had taken place until he had been informed by Jack Simpson of Brockville, his engineer. The terrific impact lifted the heavy truck in the air, carried it a distance of some 30 feet and. then scattered it along the right of way. The front wheels and assembly was ripped from the truck and hurled onto the north side of the tracks almost against the walls of a small frame house. The cab of the truck was torn from the frame and ripped to pieces before crashing against a telephone pole on the northeast corner of .the level crossing. The heavy motor was ripped from its mounting and tossed some distance away from the point of the collision. Pieces of wreckage were scattered along the right of way for 60 to 70 feet, and one shock absorber and a rubber belonging to the driver were found more than 150 feet away from the twisted pile of wreckage. Remains Conscious Throughout the entire crash, Mr.Lahey remained conscious and shortly after being admitted to hospital he gave a full account of the accident to Sgt. Cowan and Constable Foster

Return to Main Page of Railway Accidents

Updated 16 August 2019