LAC-MEGANTIC CRIMINAL TRIAL UNDERWAY

This article in today's Waterloo Region Record is titled "Conductor not perfect but reasonable: lawyer for one of Lac-Megantic accused". The lawyer for the conductor has made a pretty good case that his client's blame does not reach the level of criminal negligence. Apparently the conductor applied the brakes in order to secure the train in its' stopped position but he did not apply enough of them nor did he properly conduct a brake test. Whether or not there was a lack of either knowledge or training on the number of brakes to be applied does not seem to be clear.

I wish this article had expounded upon the liability of the owners of this train. Was there a long history of minor infractions and or accidents prior to Lac-Megantic. Could a reasonable person in authority have had any forewarning of the risks involved in parking the train where they did? Two other employees have also been charged with criminal negligence including the traffic controller and the manager of train operations. 47 people died due to this disaster and it is incumbent upon all involved to fully understand where the errors and or faults lay. This was not a natural disaster. It was man made and the lessons learned from it must never be forgotten.
Posted by Alan Marshall at 10:46 AM