Family gathers evidence for inquest into 2018 death of train conductor following derailment

Debbie Leeper says piecing together the torturous, hours-long wait her 38-year-old son Kevin Anderson endured while trapped in the wreckage of a derailed train in northern Manitoba is something a mother should never have to do.

"As a family we didn't exactly choose this. It's just this is what we have to do. Kevin didn't chose either to die the way he did," Leeper said. 

"So we have to carry on the way I think he would want us to. And do whatever we can to make sure this never happens to another family."

Anderson, who was the conductor, and a 59-year-old engineer waited for medical help for hours after the Hudson Bay Railway train they were on went of the tracks Sept. 15, 2018, near Ponton, a community about 145 kilometres southwest of Thompson, Man.

The engineer survived and continues to live with life-altering injuries. Anderson did not.

Now, a six-week inquest called by the chief medical examiner will be held in The Pas starting Dec. 6.

For three years, Leeper and her family have been gathering evidence, combing through reports, talking to civilians on the ground, searching and pushing for answers — all in an effort to shine a light on what happened that tragic night. 

Leeper says her son was in the engine room when the train derailed, pinning him in the locomotive. He was able to move his lower body but was unable to move his upper body. The engineer had more serious injuries, including a broken pelvis.

No one allowed to enter: Leeper

Leeper can't comprehend how so many people were so close, but no one was allowed to enter the room where the men were trapped. There were concerns about a possible fuel leak, and the site had to be cleared by a hazardous material crew.

"Why didn't paramedics go in? There were concerns about leaking diesel fuel. Who took control of the scene and under what authority? Why was there RCMP on site and no one from Hudson Bay Railway?" Leeper asked.

A helicopter was minutes away in Thompson. Fire fighters were also on scene, according to Leeper's documentation — all information she forwarded to the coroner. 

"Nobody was allowed to go in. We want to know who said they couldn't go in? Where did all this authority come from? Who had that authority? The questions are unlimited," said Leeper.

Ten entities have been granted standing at the inquest. They include the Anderson family, Hudson Bay Railway, Omnitrax, Teamsters Canada, the Attorney General of Canada on behalf of RCMP and Transport Canada, Thompson fire and emergency services, the Office of the Fire Commissioner of Manitoba, the Northern Regional Health Authority, the Transportation Safety Board and Shared Health, which represents emergency services. 

"At the inquest they will have to give their reasons and account for why some things were done and others were not. It is unconscionable these men suffered in pain, in the dark and cold for all that time before people managed to get organized and get in there. It was a very ineffective response to a crisis," said Leeper. 

An autopsy report later determined that Anderson bled to death after suffering "serious but survivable injuries."

A Transportation Safety Board report released earlier this year blamed a summer of heavy precipitation and high water levels for the washout. The water created pressure against the raised bed of the track until it finally gave out.

The inquest was called by the chief medical examiner to determine the circumstances relating to Anderson's death, specifically:

• To review the co-ordination of a multi-agency response to a serious incident in a remote setting.
• To examine policies and protocols used by police, paramedics and other first responders regarding operation in a potentially dangerous setting.
• To determine what, if anything, can be done to prevent similar deaths from occurring in the future.

Hoping for answers that only lead to more questions has taken its toll on the family.

"We have been trying to keep working, keep moving. But it is always there, the inquest. We know we have to get through it. It will be difficult to listen to some of the details,"  said Leeper. 

"The autopsy report, all of it will be extremely difficult. But maybe we will finally have the full picture, the truth of what happened so it will never happen again."