Heart-stopping moment three kids dodge death by inches after ‘trying to RACE a train’ while playing on Toronto bridge
- Heart-pounding surveillance video shows the moment a speeding train narrowly missed a child playing on railway tracks in Toronto
- The kids can be seen in the clip – filmed from the front of the approaching train – running along tracks on the Humber River Rail Bridge on May 20, at 5:02 pm
- The train, owned by Metrolinx, can be seen barreling toward the seemingly unaware kids, as two of them race along the tracks with their backs turned
- One of the kids came within inches of being hit, narrowly avoiding death or serious injury after inexplicably crossing the active track
Heart-pounding surveillance video shows the moment a speeding train narrowly missed children playing on railway tracks in Toronto.
Two of the three kids can be seen in the footage – filmed from the front of the rapidly approaching train – running along tracks on the Humber River Rail Bridge, on May 20 at 5:02 pm.
The train, owned by Canadian transport firm Metrolinx, can be seen barreling toward two of the seemingly unaware kids, as they race along the tracks with their backs turned. The third child is seen standing off on an adjacent track, away from the train.
One of the sprinting kids, who is seen in a bright blue shirt and shorts in the footage, was filmed running between the bridge’s two tracks – the one carrying the train and an adjacent track – veering toward the unused track as the train’s horn sounds.
The other runner, however – who wore a white t-shirt and shorts and had been running alongside his friend – came within inches of being hit, narrowly avoiding death or serious injury after inexplicably crossing the active track.
The footage shows the youth throw himself against a railing as he just barely gets out of the way.
Heart-pounding surveillance video shows the moment a speeding train narrowly missed children that had been racing along railway tracks on a Toronto Bridge
Two of the three kids can be seen in the footage – filmed from the front of the approaching train – running along tracks on the Humber River Rail Bridge, on May 20 at 5:02 pm
The train, owned by Canadian transport firm Metrolinx, can be seen barreling toward two of the seemingly unaware kids, as they race along the tracks with their backs turned
One of the children, pictured at left, came within inches of being hit, narrowly avoiding death or serious injury after inexplicably crossing the active track. The footage shows the youth throw himself against a railing as he just barely gets out of the way
None were injured in the incident, which saw the conductor of the Milton GO Line train slam his emergency breaks. The youngsters involved have not been named.
The upsetting clip was shared to the company’s Twitter account Monday.
‘This heart-stopping video shows the dangers of walking on railways,’ staffers for the company wrote, noting that one of the children had ‘come within a foot of serious injury or death while trespassing on’ the Toronto bridge.
Metrolinx said Monday that the train’s conductor had first spotted one of the youths, the one seen standing off on the adjacent track in the clip, ‘clinging to the fence on the edge of the bridge and only narrowly missed him.’
The transport firm added that staffers then ‘saw two more young people up ahead running on the track as if they were trying to outrun the train.’
After the near-miss, Metrolinx said, the kids fled the scene, as the train sputtered to stop and staffers to steps to get it running again.
The agency said it has yet to track down the youngsters, and asked the public Monday for help locating them.
‘If you recognize these young people, please get in touch with us,’ said Steve Weir, manager of transit safety with Metrolinx.
Weir added that they don’t plan on punishing the youths, but would like to reprimand them for their reckless behavior.
‘We aren’t looking to be punitive, but we are very eager to speak with your children to help educate them and ensure they never ever take this kind of risk again.’
The staffer’s warning is not ill-founded, as more than 100 Canadians seriously injured or killed each year as a result of railway crossing or trespassing incidents.
Metrolinx said it hopes someone recognizes the youths in hopes to prevent a similar, more deadly incident in the near future.
The second sprinter was also almost hit, veering over onto on unused track seconds before the train passed
The third child is seen standing off on an adjacent track, away from the train. The company that owns the train said a conductor first spotted the youth ‘clinging to the fence on the edge of the bridge and only narrowly missed him’