The Transportation Safety Board says the westbound train had been parked on a grade with its air brakes applied for two hours near Field, B.C., early Feb. 4 when it started rolling. Investigator James Carmichael said the crew had just boarded the train, but weren’t yet ready to depart. “It was not anything the crew did. The train started to move on its own,” Carmichael said at an update on Feb. 5.
A spokeswoman with the railway said the crew members died when the westbound freight jumped the tracks at about 1 a.m. MT near Field, B.C. Salem Woodrow said in a statement on Feb. 4 that there will be a full investigation to determine what caused the derailment. Woodrow said a full investigation will take place to determine the cause of the derailment.