Trio cleared in Canada’s worst ever rail disaster trail
Three railway workers have been cleared of criminal negligence following a train derailment that killed 47 people in Lac-Megantic, Quebec in Canada five years ago.
Former Engineer, Tom Harding, Rail Traffic Controller, Richard Labrie and Operations Manager, Jean Demaitre each faced one count of criminal negligence related to the incident and had plead not guilty.
A 12-person Canadian jury clear the trio after a nine-day deliberation into the July 6th, 2013 accident which saw a Bakken crude oil laden train come loose in the middle of the night before leaving the track and ending in the town centre before exploding.
The prosecution argument blamed Harding for not apply a sufficient number of brakes. Their claim against the other two defendants was that they didn’t take the necessary steps to avoid injuries and loss of life.
The incident spurned calls for increased rail safety and ending the use of one-man crews to move dangerous goods.
22nd Jan 2018
