Hundreds pay tribute to mother who died after falling off LRT platform

Hundreds of people gathered Friday to pay tribute to a young mother who died from a head injury after falling off an Edmonton LRT platform last week.

It was the first of two services for Zaidee Jensen, 29, held in the community of Chestermere, Alta., near Calgary where Jensen grew up.

Organizers said they wanted to celebrate Jensen’s life and since she loved to dress up – they encouraged those attending to wear their best.

Some people came in formal gowns while some men wore bowties and tuxedos.

The funeral comes one week after Jensen was taken off life support.

The visually-impaired mother of two – who used public transit to get to and from work –was rushed to hospital on Aug. 22., after she slipped off the platform at the University LRT station and struck her head on the train track.

She was rushed to hospital with severe brain swelling, slipped into a coma and was later placed on life support.

Jensen’s family has said they’d like to see safety standards set for LRT stations, to better show those who are visually impaired where the edge of the platform is.

"I question ETS' safety evaluation standards," said Jensen's father Al Potter.

“The other stations have tactical warning strips along the edges that can easily be found with a white stick or even the sole of your shoe," Jensen's husband Mike had told CTV News last week.

Edmonton Transit is reviewing safety issues in light of Jensen’s death, to prevent such an incident from happening again.

A city spokesperson confirmed to CTV News on Friday that the city will be looking into a number of issues after last week’s accident – including the idea of LRT station barriers.

Such barriers are used in many cities, mostly across Europe and Asia.

Injury prevention expert Dr. Louis Francescutti says he doesn’t know the details of Jensen’s death, but says barriers and other safety measures that already exist at high speed rail stations are an obvious solution to prevent injuries.

“It’s just a matter of time before push comes to shove and somebody shoves somebody in or somebody is going to fall in again,” Francescutti said.

And while barriers would come with a cost, Francescutti says it is cheaper to prevent injury than treat it.

“The answer became obvious to me when I was travelling overseas. It’s obvious. The solution is there. There’s no if, ands or butts, whether solutions exist, are you willing to pay for it?”

The Solicitor General’s office reports that seven people have died in Alberta since 2000 due to injuries sustained from accidentally falling onto an LRT track – Jensen’s death brings that count to eight.

A second memorial is planned for Jensen next Wednesday at The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints in north Edmonton beginning at 2 p.m.

With files from Susan Amerongen