Details of Railway Accidents in the Ottawa Area

1962, December 9 - Crossing Accident at Vars, CNR., Alexandria sub., one injury

.Ottawa Citizen 10 December 1962 Two escape when car hits side of express. VARS (Staff)-Two youths narrowly escaped death during a snowstorm late Sunday afternoon when their car crashed into the side of the speeding Canadian National Super Continental at a road crossing near Vars. Passenger Marcel Lefebvre, a 20-year-old laborer from Hammond, saw the train looming up through the darkness and leaped from the car. The driver, Yvon Charbun-neau, 19-year-old laborer, also of Hammond, braked but the car skidded into the train and was sent spinning by the impact. Although wreckage was strewn over a wide area from the crossing, Mr. Charbonneau received only multiple face and arm bruises. His condition in St. Louis Marie de Montfort Hospital is "good." The train's engineer, Carmen Glenn of Montreal, was unaware of the accident until reaching Ottawa, where about $200 worth of damage was found to have been caused to the fourth train car. Train delayed The Super Continental's departure for the rest of its run west was delayed 45 minutes while the car was unhooked. Mr. Lefebvre, who was unhurt, told The Ottawa Citizen: "We were going about 25 mph when suddenly we saw the train about 15 feet ahead of us. "I opened the door and jumped. But Yvon didn't have time to stop. He braked and the car slid into the train's side. The car was pushed along by the train and completely wrecked. I found Yvon lying by its side." Mr. Charbonneau was taken to the home of Hank Van Dyke to await an ambulance from Embrun. He had been heading north on County Road 17 when the accident occurred about 5 p.m. The CNR train, consisting of two diesel units and eight cars, left Montreal at 3 p.m. During its two-hour, 10-minute run to Ottawa, it reaches speeds up to 80 mph along unrestricted stretches, the area in the region of the crossing west of Vars being one. - - -

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Updated 16 March 2020