2009

10 December 2009 Snow Plow Driver Killed in Collision with CP Rail Train Gansevoort New York USA - Winter's first major snowstorm resulted in tragedy on Wednesday when a town of Northumberland employee was killed when the snow plow he was riding in collided with a Canadian Pacific freight train on Saunders Drive, near the town highway garage.   James Shea, 68, of 75 Gurn Springs Road, was a part-time Highway Department worker manning the truck's wing plow.   The truck, driven by Kerry Garnsey, 53, was headed east when it was struck by the northbound train at about 8:45 a.m. Garnsey, a 30-year Highway Department veteran, was taken by Moreau Emergency Squad to Glens Falls Hospital with head and chest injuries in critical condition. Garnsey's condition has since been upgraded.   "It's a terrible tragedy," town Supervisor Bill Peck said. "Jim was a retired fireman. He enjoyed the work and the camaraderie. He was a wingman on plow trucks in winter and worked at town parks in summer. He was just a really good guy. It's a very difficult situation for a small town."   Shea belonged to Gansevoort Volunteer Fire Dept., whose members responded to the scene along with South Glens Falls Fire Department.   "He was one of their own," Peck said.   Shea was pronounced dead at the scene. Rescue personnel extricated Garnsey by cutting the top off the truck's cab. Saratoga County Sheriff's Department deputies, CP Rail police, state environmental conservation officers, and transportation personnel also responded.   Saunders Drive is a dead-end town road located just south of the highway garage. There are only two houses on the east side of the tracks, where the plow truck was apparently headed.   The crossing has no gates and no lights.   "There's a lot of ungated crossings in the area," Peck said. "It's something we're going to have to look into."   The road is just north of the main Gansevoort hamlet crossing, near a Stewart's shop, on Route 32 that has both lights and gates. The accident site has a long, straight stretch of railroad track. Police have not released other details surrounding the accident, such as what might have caused it.   Shea, a retired New York State Thruway Authority engineer, was pronounced dead at the scene. He is survived by his wife, Linda. Previously, he was a fireman in Vischer Ferry and the couple had moved to Northumberland about 10 to 12 years ago.   Shea was also a Northumberland Fire District commissioner.   "He was community-oriented; a real nice genuine guy," former Supervisor Edgar King said. "I remember him working at fire company breakfasts, hustling around, cleaning tables, pouring coffee. My heart goes out to his family."   Canadian Pacific Railway spokesman Michel Spenard said the 41-car train was staffed by two workers, a locomotive engineer and conductor, neither of whom were hurt. Freight trains typically have two workers, he said.   The train, originating in Pennsylvania, had stopped in Saratoga Springs for a crew change and was headed to Rouses Point and then Montreal. Saratoga Springs train station is about 10 miles from Gansevoort.   "That's our main line," Spenard. "Trains go through there several times a day, plus Amtrak passenger trains. It's a busy line. Everything is being investigated. The train won't be removed until cleared by police and the physical part of the investigation is over."

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