MMA Chairman Arrives in Lac-Mégantic, Says Employee Was at Fault

This article was last updated on April 16, 2022

Canada: Oye! Times readers Get FREE $30 to spend on Amazon, Walmart…
USA: Oye! Times readers Get FREE $30 to spend on Amazon, Walmart…

Chairman of Montreal Maine & Atlantic Railway, Edward Burkhardt, reached on a much scrutinized visit of Lac-Mégantic, Que., on Wednesday afternoon, where he alleged that the deadly crash of runaway train was a result of an employee’s negligence who failed to set handbrakes on the cars.

Burkhardt was rushed by reporters upon his arrival at the site, where he gave an abrupt statement before he could even move to a media tent nearby where angry residents yelled and cursed. He mentioned in a hyped tone that he does not believe anymore that the train was sabotaged, while refuting any blame casted on local firefighters. He admitted that a track employee was responsible for the mishap, though he was not aware of the consequences of turning the engine off.

Furthermore, he elaborated that during the initial inspection, the company that the handbrakes were set on the locomotive since the local conductor claims to have set other brakes on tank cars. However, stating the contrary, je alleged that the company has failed to verify that and rather it’s hard to imagine handbrakes were applied on the train’s tank cars. He then stated that “as a matter of fact, I’ll say they weren’t.” When inquired if he believes that an employee removed the brakes, he stated that he rather thinks they “failed to set the brakes.” Finally, he revealed that the responsible engineer has been suspended and is “under police control,” though not in jail.