Incident happened on worker’s first day at work after attending a Sundance festival
A Manitoba Sheriff Services officer died at the scene after the van he was driving collided with a train west of Portage la Prairie, according to the Manitoba RCMP.
RCMP said officers responded to the collision at approximately 8 a.m. on Road 40 West on July 14, in the rural municipality of Portage la Prairie. Early findings indicated a southbound Manitoba Sheriffs van collided with a train, causing the vehicle to roll and land in a ditch.
RCMP identified the driver as a 27-year-old Portage la Prairie man. CBC News later identified the victim as Brett Matheson-Maytwayashing, a Manitoba sheriff. The sole passenger sustained minor injuries and was taken to hospital as a precaution. No one else was inside the vehicle at the time of the collision.
Investigation and reaction
RCMP said the investigation is being conducted with assistance from CN Police and Manitoba Workplace Safety and Health, the province's occupational health and safety regulator.
The Manitoba Government and General Employees' Union, which represents provincial sheriff's officers, said in a statement: "Our hearts go out to the families, friends, and co-workers of these dedicated members."
Manitoba Premier Wab Kinew said the province is "mourning the loss of a sheriff," adding: "We are also thinking of the sheriff who was injured, and we wish them a full and quick recovery."
A separate report from APTN News noted that Matheson-Maytwayashing was a member of Lake Manitoba First Nation, also known as Animozeebeeng, and that he had been driving back from court in a Manitoba Sheriff Services van when the vehicle hit a train.
The same report notes it had been his first day at work after attending a Sundance festival in Saskatchewan over the weekend. His sister, Brianna Bezan, spoke to APTN about her brother, recalling that her husband had been scared to tell her because he knew her biggest fear was hearing something had happened to her brother or sister.
The investigation remains active, and no findings on cause have been released.
