Metrolinx releases video of GO Train slamming into SUV

Metrolinx released a new video of a GO Train crashing into an SUV.

⛔ Do not do what this driver did
✅ Obey all signs and signals

At railway crossings, use the designated crossings; they’re designed to keep you safe. Learn more here: https://t.co/FPwbkGTPUC #MetrolinxFYI pic.twitter.com/FseY5Lzqf7

— Metrolinx (@Metrolinx) June 20, 2022

The video shows a driver coming to a rail crossing as the gate closes to signal that a train is approaching. The SUV stops for a moment, but then pulls to the right to drive around the gate. It stops just before the tracks, then a train enters the shot and crashes into the vehicle, pushing it out of the shot.

It happened on the tracks near Downsview Airport in mid-May. Metrolinx says The driver escaped without significant injuries.

An image later in the video appears to show the vehicle totalled. Metrolinx says the driver “was lucky to have walked away.”

According to Operation Lifesaver, 100 Canadians are seriously injured or killed every year at level crossing, which is a second of road that crosses a train track.

“Most of these incidents, like the one in the video, are preventable,” said Martin Gallagher, chief safety officer at Metrolinx, in a statement. “Collisions at level crossings are caused by pedestrians, cyclists and drivers who deliberately take risks or make bad decisions by mistake, out of habit or because they’re distracted. Everyone needs to be alert at level crossings and remember that trains move quickly and can appear at any time.”

Metrolinx is urging drivers to be cautious at rail crossings.