Fatal train accident another blow for Westman family

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This article was published 12/11/2010 (5577 days ago), so information in it may no longer be current.

A long-suffering Westman family is coping with yet another tragedy after one of their members was struck and killed by a freight train.

Bev Bialkoski-Moore says her 32-year-old nephew, Bradley Stephen Shaw, was killed early Sunday morning.

She describes her nephew as an intelligent man who was about to start a new job and leaves behind two young children.

“He had a lot going for him,” Bialkoski-Moore said.

Blue Hills RCMP Staff Sgt. Mike Zens said the collision happened shortly after 2 a.m. at the intersection of Road 468 and the Canadian National Railway line at Justice.

Zens said the victim was lying in the road in the middle of the tracks at time of impact.

However, in the dark, the engineers wouldn’t have recognized the shape of a human body until it was too late to stop the train.

A CN spokesman said the crossing lights and gates were working at the time.

Police say there’s no indication of foul play, but even though an autopsy will be done, they may never know exactly what happened.

Suicide hasn’t been ruled out, but Bialkoski-Moore said they don’t believe Shaw ended his own life.

He was excited to have just got a job as a supervisor at Superstore in Brandon and was set to start work Tuesday.

He was at a family gathering in Justice shortly before the tragedy, Bialkoski-Moore said.

Shaw had about five beers Saturday evening and Bialkoski-Moore last saw him around 1:20 a.m. Sunday. He left the gathering go to a relative’s nearby house to sleep.

However, he was known to go for walks along the railway track, and Bialkoski-Moore said that’s what she believes he was doing when he either had a heart attack or passed out.

Shaw had a pre-existing heart condition, she said.

Shaw’s cellphone was found near the place he was struck, and Bialkoski-Moore said the last text he made was at 1:45 a.m. to family and friends. The message indicated that he couldn’t breathe.

Shaw was born in Prince Rupert, B.C., and grew up in Winnipeg.

He lived in B.C. for a time, but less than a month ago he moved to Justice, then to Brandon to live with Bialkoski-Moore as he secured work.

He never married but has an eight-year-old son and 18-month-old daughter.

He had hoped to return to university eventually and wanted to be a lawyer, his aunt said.

Shaw’s death is the latest in a string of tragedies for his extended family.

The Justice home of Bialkoski-Moore’s former common-law partner, Trevor Cords, and his two daughters burned down in October 2009.

Then, Cords’ uncle died in an auto crash in northern Alberta and his grandmother passed away from a stroke.

In April, Bialkoski-Moore’s son was shot dead at a Neepawa home. A month later, Cords’ ex-wife, Tammy, died as a result of improperly prescribed medication.

In October, Cords’ elderly grandfather died.

That month, one year after the fire, the family gathered in Justice to celebrate the Cords’ new home , the family’s resilience and to celebrate the lives of those lost.

However, Shaw’s death means things aren’t getting better for the close-knit family.

“It’s just one blow after another,” Bialkoski-Moore said.