Scolded for wanting to change the locomotive broken

Photo special collaboration, caroline lepage
The accused Jean Demaître retains an air of impassive during the trial, which takes place in the palais de justice in Sherbrooke for criminal negligence causing death.

Caroline Lepage

Tuesday, 24 October 2017 06:30

UPDATE
Tuesday, 24 October 2017 06:30

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SHERBROOKE | the driver of The train who suggested to change the failed locomotive at the head of the oil train, before it explodes in Lac-Mégantic, would have been made treat of “chialeux” by the director of the railway station.

The ex-employee of the Montreal, Maine & Atlantic (MMA), François Daigle, has suggested the morning of July 5, 2013 to put a locomotive more functional instead of the one that was defective. He was driving then the train loaded with oil that derailed the following night in Lac-Mégantic, killing 47 people.

According to the story of François Daigle, the former director of transportation at the office of Farhnam for MMA, Jean Demaître, he would have responded a phrase which has long prevented sleep.

“You chiales yet. This is why we a. Pis anyway, you’re going to take your pension after me “, he would have said to Mr. Demaître, one of the three ex-employees of the MMA, with Tom Harding and Richard Labrie, who were charged with criminal negligence causing the death of the 47 victims.

The three men are currently being trial by jury at the palais de justice de Sherbrooke.

According to his testimony, which has been taking place since last Wednesday, Mr. Daigle explained that the change of locomotive that Mr. Demaître refused would have taken only thirty minutes to make.

Mr. Daigle had a relationship that seemed to be a little cordial with her superiors. He treated his two “osties” boss “sparrows” when he spoke to the police, following the disaster in Lac-Mégantic.

Smoke black

Two days before the deadly explosion, Mr. Daigle had driven the locomotive 5017, which was moving in slow motion due to failure of electrical connected to a problem of amperage.

Without being a major problem, this defect in him required to play continually with the brakes and the air pressure.

“It was the smoke black “, he detailed.

Mr. Daigle had informed a supervisor of the anomalies of the 5017, which he had noted in a fax sent to 21: 45 at the mechanical workshop of Derby, Maine.

In cross-examination, the lawyer of Jean Demaître, Mr. Gaetan Bourassa, has argued that this place was not that provided for in the procedure. Mr. Daigle explained that he had acted in this way to be certain that the locomotive will be repaired.

In addition, Mr. Daigle would never have reported the failure to the controller in the rail, as required by the regulations of the MMA, and this, from the first communication.

“In the past, we could report it and there was nothing that was going on “, he justified.

It consisted, therefore, to report in writing the defects, which were common at the end of the trip.

Earlier in the trial : former assistant director of the MMA, Michael Horan, said that nine hand brakes instead of seven would have been able to prevent the train from moving forward.

Today : the cross-examination of the ex-employee of the MMA François Daigle continues.

Trains of oil were too heavy

Photo By Caroline Lepage

François Daigle, Witness

The ex-train driver François Daigle says that the employees of the MMA had not received any specific training for transport convoys also heavy and loaded with hazardous materials, such as the one that exploded at Lac-Mégantic. With the accused Tom Harding, Francis Daigle was one of the few locomotive engineers of the bureau of Farnham drive train oil. According to him, the transportation of such heavy convoys was recently at the MMA.

More than 9000 tons

Before the tribunal, Mr. Daigle said that the cars of 9100 tons, that pulled the failed locomotive driven by Tom Harding before the derailment was well above the 6300 tons that are permitted.

Cross-examined by one of the attorneys of Harding, Charles Shearson, Mr. Daigle confirmed that a locomotive engineer did not have the right to refuse to lead to good port a oil train that exceeded the allowed weight.

Little respect for the rules

Francis Daigle was the head of the committee of the safety and health of the MMA, the office of Farnham. However, it was not always the regulations of the company which is required to train drivers only to the edge of the convoy to communicate, at least every half-hour, with the dc rail.

According to Mr. Daigle, few drivers followed this rule. This omission has never been addressed within the safety committee. In case of neglect, the controller of railway had to remind every two minutes until the communication with the driver is re-established. Mr. Daigle said they have tested the procedure, which was not followed to the letter, especially at night. When he was called by the controller’s railway, he replied that he was ” still alive “.