Man killed after being dragged underneath GO train

Toronto Police sources say a video obtained by investigators shows a man in his 30s coming into contact with a passing GO train as it was leaving Union Station where his backpack or article of clothing became tangled [with equipment, or snagged, by the locomotive] and dragged him underneath the train.

“The time [of the incident] would put it right in the key rush hour period, so you can expect that there is a large number of individuals on the platform. However cause … of the collision hasn’t been determined as of yet,” Const. Clint Stibbe told the Toronto Star in an interview published Wednesday.

The incident happened shortly after 5:30 pm. People on scene claim passengers who began to arrive for the 6:05 pm Barrie train were told to go to Platform 24. Passengers already on the platform told ThisCrazyTrain.com they witnessed EMS attending the victim. GO Transit is advising those who were affected by this incident to contact them at (416) 869-3200. Counselling may be available to you.

The victim, who has not been identified, was a GO Transit passenger and the train involved was heading to Barrie. The personnel on the train were unaware a passenger had been struck. After the incident, which occurred on Platform 11, all train service on Platforms 11 and 12 were halted so police could begin their investigation.

Metrolinx spokeswoman Anne Marie Aikins also told the Toronto Star, “Sometimes people, when they’re in a rush … when they want to get home or when they want to get to work, sometimes they take short cuts and don’t follow all the rules.”