Two years after she lost her son in a train crash, Sharon Jobson is still battling CN Rail to improve safety at crossings, even as she faces a half-million dollar lawsuit against her by the company she blames for his death.
Sharon has put in thousands of hours of lobbying after the death of her 22-year-old son at a crossing near Glencoe, and is finally seeing change.
“I'm pleased they're going up - very pleased there will be some safety at this crossing now.”
Lights and mechanical arms are now installed - features that weren't there two years ago - when a westbound VIA Rail train collided with John Jobson's pickup. Both John and his dog died.
For his mother, revisiting the site isn't easy, “It’s difficult. This is where there was a lot of trauma but I am pleased that that won't happen again.”
In large part, the changes have come from Sharon's efforts. Her kitchen is often a war room - where she digs through files, combs through reports and lobbies to make crossings less dangerous.
The changes are being made at a crossing that’s already seen two fatalities, but those upgrades don't seem to be appearing at other, equally dangerous locations.
In southwest Middlesex's recent history there have been 11 fatal train crashes at crossings with no lights, gates or any form of an automatic warning system.
After John’s death, Transport Canada found that the signs at the crossing weren't adequate, so those were fixed. But it also found that several double-track crossings in the area lacked modern protections like lights and gates.
In a 2011 letter the director of rail investigations said "Transport Canada may wish to ensure that all crossings in the (area) are adequately protected."
In fact, Transport Canada's guidelines say gates should be used when there are two or more tracks.
But changes don't appear to be coming to nearby crossings. CN Rail said it couldn't deal with CTV’s request for information until later in the week.
Sharon says “The guidelines have been in place for 20 years or more and after the first death, it was the same situation only later in the day and it could've been fixed then and we wouldn't be in this situation today.”
She blames CN for her son's untimely death - but CN blames John's estate for the damage the crash caused.
Last month Sharon was served with a $500,000 lawsuit by CN Rail. Her insurance company is currently handling it, and she has decided not to countersue.
She says “I really just want safety, I want the crossings fixed.”
And while she can't bring her son back, she hopes CN will prevent other tragedies, “Do what's in the guidelines. That's the best practices, that why the government put them out.”
