Hay River (Feb 23/04) - A Hay River taxi slammed into the side of a train Feb. 16.

The driver apparently didn't see the dark train stopped across Mackenzie Highway, near the Porritt Landing boat launch.

A Hay River cab, pictured below, was a write-off after it hit the train pictured at left on Feb. 16. The driver escaped with a mild concussion. - Paul Bickford/NNSL photo

"There were zero brakes," says Fraser Pike, the owner of Reliable Cabs. "He just drove into it."

RCMP Sgt. Don Fisher confirms the train was stopped on the tracks when hit by the car, which was heading south around 7:30 p.m.

The accident is still under investigation by the RCMP.

The driver, who was alone in the cab, suffered a bump to the head, and was medevaced to Yellowknife. He is now out of hospital and has a mild concussion.

"It was the driver's airbag that probably saved his life," says Pike.

The taxi company owner notes the cabbie is a defensive driving instructor. "This guy takes his driving pretty seriously."

The car itself is a write-off, says Pike.

Like all other railroad crossings in Hay River, there are no barriers or warning lights at the crossing, just signs to warn motorists.

Why was train there?

Pike wonders whether the train should have been stopped on the highway at night while cars were being switched.

He also questions why there is not better illumination at the crossings and on the trains.

A spokesperson for RaiLink Mackenzie Northern could not be reached by press time.

Pike says the way the train was stopped on the road blocked the street lights in the area. Plus, he says the glare from the icy road also hampered visibility.

He believes the black train and the black road merged into the darkness of the night.

"Sometimes we get a little complacent crossing them day in and day out," he says.