A driver and passenger escaped with seconds to spare when the rig they were riding in stalled suddenly on a set of train tracks and was struck by a passenger train in the Rivière-des-Prairies district.
The rig, being driven by a student driver with an instructor riding along, had a mechanical failure on a level crossing about 9:15 a.m. Monday on St-Jean-Baptiste Blvd. at the corner of Maurice-Duplesis Blvd. It was struck by a Via Rail train heading east toward Abitibi and Saguenay. There were 19 people on board.
“They managed to get out of the car just a few moments before a train collided with the truck,” said Montreal police Constable Manuel Couture. “Fortunately, there are no injured people in this incident.”
Inspectors were on the scene evaluating the damage and trying to determine the causes.
The passengers on board the train were transported off the scene by taxi.
