Canada: Tow truck driver hit by GO train had been trying to direct traffic

Randy Muzzi, a 54-year-old tow truck driver, had been called out to an accident site near Ninth Line and Derry Rd. early Friday morning. It was to be the last shift of his life.

Peel police say the driver was attempting to cross around 6:30 a.m. near Lisgar GO station en route to a multi-vehicle collision accompanied by fire services and paramedics. An accident had occurred just minutes before.

Muzzi was doing his best to direct traffic at the accident site, a friend told the Star. He’d been on scene for 10 minutes when he realized that the traffic barriers at a nearby railroad crossing had closed across his truck—and that a train was approaching.

Todd Keely, owner of TLK Towing and Muzzi’s old employer, said that Muzzi ran back to his truck and tried to drive it out of the way of the tracks to try to prevent another accident.

Paramedics with the tow truck watched as the truck was caught in the crossing and rammed by the oncoming train. The eastbound GO Train dragged Muzzi’s truck a half-kilometre down the tracks before stopping.

“I had to tell his wife. It wasn’t a fun day,” Keely said. He had known Muzzi for 30 years and had employed him until last year. Keely insisted that Muzzi hadn’t been “chasing” the accident when he was struck and killed.

Police have blocked off the intersection of Ninth Line and Terragar Blvd. and are telling drivers to expect delays in the area.

According to Insp. Steve Harvey of Peel police, 172 passengers were on board the train. None has been injured.

“It was a tragic set of circumstances this morning. The train crew was really shaken up by this—there were indications that the tow truck was in the clearance envelope or within the signal area (of the crossing) at the time of the impact,” Harvey said to reporters on-scene shortly before 9 a.m.

He added that, so far in the investigation, the crossing signals appeared to be working normally. The Major Collisions Bureau has yet to arrive, he said, but they would be looking into this issue when they did.

GO Transit will also be running an extra train up to Meadowvale GO station to bring in extra passengers to Union, and advises Milton line passengers to seek alternate travel arrangements this morning.