Employer silent on condition of railway worker hit by train

Two of three maintenance workers struck by a CN train on Boxing Day are recovering well, but the third victim’s condition was not made public.

The three men were clearing snow from tracks in northeast Edmonton when they were struck. They couldn’t hear the train’s whistle because they were wearing ear protection and using snowblowers.

Two of the employees — aged 28 and 32 — were faring better, with one “resting comfortably at home,” A&B Rail Services Ltd, the men’s employer, said Sunday in a statement on its website.

The second man remains in hospital for observation but is in “good condition.”

The company didn’t offer any update on the third victim, a 20-year-old man who was the most seriously injured. He is expected to face a long recovery.

“We are respecting the family’s request for privacy during this time and not releasing any information regarding the remaining employee.”

The workers were contracted by CN to do maintenance work on a section of tracks near Hayter Road and Meridian Street when they were struck Wednesday by an eastbound train travelling about 40 kilometres per hour shortly after 9 a.m.

A&B Rail Services says it will continue to co-operate with provincial and federal investigations into the incident, along with a CN probe. The company says a stop-work order against it had been lifted Friday, but a spokesperson for Alberta Occupational health and Safety said Sunday the order remained in effect.

The Transportation Safety Board of Canada, has said one of the workers should have been designated as a safety lookout. A&B Rail Services has more than 500 employees from B.C. to Ontario, with about half based out of its head office in Edmonton.