On August 30, 2009 around 11:30am, Portage la Prairie RCMP received a call that a vehicle and train collided at the railway crossing on Highway 34, north of Austin, Manitoba.
When police arrived on scene the driver and passenger of a pick-up truck were out of the truck and in an ambulance. There were no injuries reported.
The investigation revealed that the driver of the truck was travelling on Highway 34 and noticed the crossing signals too late. The driver swerved to avoid the barrier gates. When the driver attempted to back up, he noticed the vehicle was stuck, so the driver and the passenger ran from the vehicle, narrowly avoiding the collision with the train.
The driver, a 33 year old man from Westbourne, was charged with failing to stop at a railway crossing under the Highway Traffic Act.
Cst. Stephen Senuita
Portage la Prairie RCMP
Tel: 204-857-4445
Fax: 204-239-0130
