Pedestrian struck, killed by C-Train

A man was struck and killed by a C-Train in northeast Calgary on Tuesday morning.     

It happened shortly after 9 a.m. just north of the Whitehorn LRT station at 36th Street and 39th Avenue N.E., officials said.      

The man was walking in a marked crosswalk when he was hit by the northbound train and thrown about 25 metres, police said. He was pronounced dead at the scene.     

C-Train service was reduced to a single track in the area and 36th Street was closed to traffic between Whitehorn Drive and 44th Avenue N.E. for more than two hours while police investigated.

Acting Insp. Michael Watterston said no passengers were injured when the train made an emergency stop; the driver was shaken but unhurt.

"My understanding is he's being dealt with by members of LRT," Watterston said. "Obviously, they've got their protocols that they run through to make sure the member's well-being is being looked after as well.  It's a traumatic situation for the driver and for pedestrians that may have witnessed it, for sure."

It's not known why the man walked into the path of the train, Watterston said.

"Our investigation is continuing," Watterston said. "We've got a number of witnesses we're sifting through at this moment, [but] it's not looking like the person purposely ran into the train."