The awful reality that huge train engines can be dangerous was apparent again Wednesday morning (April 29, 2015) as Metrolinx spokesperson Anne Marie Aikens met the media. She was reporting on the death of a 31-year-old man at Union Station yesterday. He was dragged some distance by a GO engine as a 12-car train left the station. How did it happen? It seems there is video of the incident and Ms. Aikens noted that the man was wearing a back pack. It caught something on the train. It is another instance where people wearing back packs sometimes forget how these useful carriers can get them in trouble. In any case, the police are still looking into the death but it seemed from Ms. Aikens remarks that Metrolinx considers it to be a tragic accident. “We all have to take personal responsibility,” she said two or three times. Some riders have commented that the platforms at Union Station are not wide enough but the question will also be asked: “How wide is wide enough?” if the people are not sufficiently cautious. These are hard questions in the context of such a terrible event but necessary.
