NEWS RELEASE
GUELPH POLICE
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On Wednesday, Apr. 19, 2017 at approximately 12:19 p.m. a 2012 Mazda operated by a 76-year-old Guelph male was travelling northbound on Edinburgh Road north of Inkerman Street and stopped in a line of traffic at a level crossing.
The safety gates were in the down position and the warning lights and signal bells were functioning as a freight train travelled westbound across Edinburgh Road.
The motor vehicle started from a stopped position and accelerated northbound in the southbound lane of Edinburgh Road for a short distance before mounting the west curb and travelling across the lawn of a house.
The motor vehicle struck a tree before driving through a large wooden fence at the north edge of the residential property.
The motor vehicle continued in a northwest direction across a commercial driveway and vacant lot before breaking through a wire fence bordering the railway property.
The motor vehicle continued towards the slow moving train but became “hung up” on a set of tracks south of the main line. The motor vehicle changed direction and travelled westbound along the track before coming to a stop because of extensive damage.
The motor vehicle did not come into contact with any other motor vehicles or the moving train.
Emergency personnel attended the scene and the driver was found not to be injured but was unable to recall details of the collision. He was transported to Guelph General Hospital where attempts are being made to determine if a medical condition contributed to this incident.
Damage to the fence is estimated at $2,000. The motor vehicle sustained extensive front end damage as a result of repeated impacts with several curbs and railway tracks and was demolished.
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