One person injured after van and train collide in Southwest Middlesex

One person was taken to hospital with non life-threatening injuries after a cargo van was struck by a train at a railway crossing in Southwest Middlesex, just before 9 a.m. Wednesday morning.

A second person in the vehicle was uninjured.

It happened on Thames Road between Falconbridge Drive and Century Drive.

Neighbour Tina Banman told CTV News London she was making breakfast when she got a big scare.

“I was making my son breakfast and I heard a thump,” she explained. “I came back to the kitchen and I looked out the window, I saw steam. I heard a train come. I [saw] them go by. When I [saw] that there was a vehicle laying upside down by the track.”

At the scene, a white cargo van was overturned in the ditch, while a train was stopped at the railway crossing. Debris was scattered across a farm field, while police and rail officials could be seen combing the scene.

One person has been taken to hospital with non-life-threatening injuries following a crash between a transit van and a train in southwest Middlesex on Oct. 25, 2023. (Bryan Bicknell/CTV News London)OPP Const. Jeff Hare said the van was traveling northbound on Thames Road when it was struck by the westbound CP Train.

“The investigation's in the early stages,” said Hare. “We don’t know what happened here, but we do know that, you know if you’re coming up to railroad crossings, have a look, look both ways, make sure there isn’t a train coming. When you approach a stop sign, look both ways before you proceed."

Hare said “thankfully” the tankers on the train were empty.

Like many rural crossings, this one, on Thames Road between Falconbridge Drive and Century Drive, is controlled by flashing lights, but it does not have blocking arms.

Tina Banman said she sees drivers taking chances.

“People will drive right across when they see the train already coming,” she said. “They should have gates that the arms would come down, people would have to stop.”

Police said the investigation is continuing.