Man in wheelchair struck, killed by train at New Brunswick railway crossing

MONCTON, N.B. – A 29-year-old New Brunswick man in a wheelchair was killed when he was struck by a CN train at a crossing in Moncton, police said Wednesday.

RCMP Const. Derek Black said the man from Moncton was on the tracks at a crossing near Robinson and Victoria streets when he was hit by the train at 1:45 a.m.

“Police are trying to determine why he was on the tracks and what exactly happened,” he said. “There’s no indication anyone else was involved at this point.”

Cpl. Jacques Cloutier added that foul play is not suspected, but it remains unclear why the man was in the area.

“We may never (uncover what happened). We don’t know. That’s something for whether the investigation will reveal any further information or not.”

The Transportation Safety Board of Canada says it has sent in a team of investigators to try to find out what happened.

In a statement, CN confirmed the incident involved one of its trains, but declined to be interviewed.

Spokesman Pierre-Yves Boivin said the crossing’s gates were functioning properly, meaning the flashing lights activated and the gates came down. The area is largely residential.

Black said they would not release the man’s name.

The incident remains under investigation.