‘We couldn't do nothing other than scream’
A railway engineer who survived a fatal derailment in northern Manitoba has told a provincial inquest he had no warning before the locomotive plunged into a washed‑out gap in the tracks, leaving him and a colleague trapped in a remote area with no working communications.
“It was just — blam,” engineer Chris Rushton testified last week, according to a CBC report. “All I had time to do was throw my hands up in front of my face. We couldn't do nothing other than scream.”
The Hudson Bay Railway freight train derailed on Sept. 15, 2018 in northern Manitoba, killing conductor Kevin Anderson, 38, and seriously injuring Rushton, now 67.
The train went over rails and ties that remained in place but were hanging over an empty space about 15 metres long and nearly five metres deep after the ground had been washed away. The section collapsed under the train’s weight, pinning both men in the wreckage, according to the report.
Trapped crew and chance discovery
Rushton told the inquest their radios were not working, leaving them unable to summon help, reported CBC. They were discovered only when a civilian helicopter happened to fly overhead about two hours later.
“We kept telling each other not to go to sleep,” Rushton said, adding he and Anderson could hear but not see each other, according to the report. At one point, he recalled, Anderson said, “We're going to die,” and Rushton replied, “No, we're not dying. Not today.”
RCMP reached the area at around 7 p.m., but access to the immediate scene was delayed over concerns about leaking fuel and possible hazardous materials. Emergency crews waited until trained and equipped personnel could assess the risk.
Firefighter and paramedic Erin Geekie of Thompson Fire and Emergency Services, one of the first specialised responders on scene, said several factors slowed their approach. She testified that her captain initially instructed the team not to board a helicopter because hazardous materials specialists were not yet present and there were indications of potential dangerous goods.
“At that point, we didn't really have a clear picture of what was going on at the actual scene,” she said, according to the CBC report. “I was advised that there may have been dangerous goods on scene.”
Access challenges and rescue attempt
Attempts to reach the derailment using all‑terrain vehicles failed when the tyres blew out on jagged rock along the rail line, according to the report. Responders eventually arrived using a high‑rail truck that could travel on the tracks, which Geekie said would now be considered the better option in similar conditions.
Once at the site, crews decided to free Anderson first, believing his position made extrication more feasible. “We were able to free one leg, but the tools were not very successful in freeing his other leg,” Geekie said.
She testified that Anderson remained alert throughout the rescue attempt. “Mr. Anderson was alert the entire time, so once we freed one leg he attempted to stand up on his own, after we asked him not to, and he expired,” CBC reported.
An autopsy concluded Anderson died from blood loss after sustaining “serious but survivable injuries.” A lawyer at the inquest has said medical opinion later shifted to the view that his death was inevitable given the actual circumstances.
The inquest before provincial court Judge Timothy Killeen was scheduled to continue Wednesday in The Pas. Its mandate includes determining the circumstances of Anderson’s death and reviewing how agencies co‑ordinated their response to a major incident in a remote location.
