14 January 2009
Relative Wants Visual Signals at Railway Crossings
Estevan Saskatchewan - The family and friends of Terry
Vollans are mystified about why the Estevan man's truck collided with a train on Saturday morning.
Vollans, 55, was pronounced dead after his vehicle was hit by a train about seven kilometres northwest of Estevan. He was southbound
on a grid road when he failed to stop at an uncontrolled intersection for an eastbound train.
Marian Vollans, Terry's sister-in-law, was the last family member to see him alive and the first to be notified by police
of his death.
At 10:30 a.m., the Estevan detachment of the RCMP, the Estevan City Police Service and the Estevan Fire Department were called to the
collision along Highway 39. An hour later, a police officer knocked on the door of the Vollans' residence to break the news to the
family.
"I accepted what he said but it was just a total shock," Marian said.
For the past nine months, Terry lived with Marian and her husband Ron in Estevan. Marian said Terry was deaf in his right ear and the
train approached his vehicle on his deaf side.
"If he was sleeping on his good ear and you called him, he wouldn't hear you," she said.
Marian and Ron will treasure the last moments they spent laughing and talking with Terry on Saturday while he completed a crossword
puzzle. Shortly after 9 a.m., he left their home to go to the farm of his friend, Gord Nelson. The collision occurred half a mile
north of Nelson's farm on Highway 39.
"It happened just at the end of my driveway - it was just horrible," Nelson said. "He would have had his deaf ear to
the train but why he didn't see it is a mystery... He should have been driving beside that train for a while before he turned. And
when he turned I'm guessing there is 1,000 feet to the train track, which isn't very far but I don't know why he didn't see the
train."
Marian believes visual signals should be erected at the crossing to alert hard-of-hearing drivers about oncoming trains.
"Terry was an extremely cautious driver," she said. "If the train was approaching from his deaf side, he wouldn't hear
it because he was totally deaf in that ear... I asked the RCMP and they said there were no drifts to block his line of vision."
Breanne Feigel, spokeswoman for Canadian Pacific Railway, said the collision is tragic for the family and the two CP employees who
were on the train.
"They certainly did everything they could to stop the train but it does take about 1,000 metres for a train to come to a complete
stop," she said. "They were offered and they accepted critical stress counselling."
Feigel said numerous types of rail crossings exist - including those with gates, lights, and bells. The type used depends on factors
such as traffic frequency, sight lines, and the area's population.
"Those are determined not just by the railway but by Transport Canada and the municipalities so when upgrades occur it's a joint
effort," said Feigel.
Sgt. Carole Raymond said Wednesday the RCMP is continuing to investigate the cause of the collision.
Meanwhile Terry's friends and family are remembering him as a man who was ready to lend a hand to others. The
self-employed handyman helped Marian and Ron renovate their home and did other jobs around the house, such as
shovelling.
"He and I would go around town picking up supplies and everywhere we went in town he'd be acknowledged," Marian said.
"The first time I went fishing was with him," Nelson said, "he was a little bit older than I was and I just kind of
hung out with him... He'd help everyone. He didn't want all the riches in the world. He was just a good guy."
The funeral for the divorced father of three children is to be held Thursday at 3 p.m. in Estevan at the Living Hope Community Church.
In lieu of flowers, the family is asking that donations be made to either the Canadian Cancer Society or, because he loved to build
things, Habitat for Humanity in Regina.
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