Details of Railway Accidents in the Ottawa Area

1991, June 22 - Crossing collision at Pleasant Park, CNR., Beachburg sub., one fatality

Ottawa Citizen 24 June 1991 Crossing victim called cautious driver A 72-year-old Ottawa woman who was killed by a train Saturday when her car failed to stop at a railway crossing was a careful driver, says her husband. Kathleen McCorkell, of Weston Drive, was eastbound on Pleasant Park Road in Ottawa about 5 p.m. when a four-car VIA Rail passenger train hit her Chevrolet Cavalier at a level crossing. McCorkell had no problems with her sight or hearing, says her husband, Franklin McCorkell. "I can't see her driving in front of a train." Coroner James Dickson has not decided if he will call an inquest, but suggested a gate might be advisable. Transportation Safety Board investigator Alex Kocsis said it's not unusual for a crossing to have only lights and bells. Still, he said, he might recommend a gate at the crossing once the investigation is completed. Kocsis estimated the train was travelling at the speed limit, about 65 kilometres per hour, at the time of the crash. McCorkell, a mother of six, will be buried in her hometown of Dauphin, Man.

Return to Main Page of Railway Accidents

Updated 8 August 2020