Girl, 6, dead after being hit by transit train in Calgary

Family of young girl speaks Jeff Ogbeide, Efua’s father, says they’re still trying to figure out why she walked away from home. Jordan Kanygin reports.

A six-year-old girl was struck and killed by a transit train in Calgary.

It happened around 8 a.m. Monday near the Somerset-Bridlewood CTrain station in the city’s southwest.

According to Calgary police, the girl was crossing the street when the crossing’s bells and lights were set off to warn of an approaching train.

“When she was trying to cross the tracks, she unfortunately got confused,” Sgt. Chris Agren told CTV Calgary.

Agren said the train driver sounded the vehicle’s horn and tried to stop the train, but the girl “doubled back into the path of the train” and was hit.

The driver of the train has been offered counselling.

“Unfortunately, it is a train and it can’t be stopped that quickly,” Agren said.

An ambulance with a police escort took her to hospital, where she was pronounced dead.

Sgt. Chris Agren said it’s believed the girl was walking to school when she was hit.

Since Calgary introduced the CTrain system in 1981, there have been 77 deaths linked to it.

With a report from CTV Calgary’s Alicia Fieldberg