There have now been 37 confirmed deaths in the Lac-Mégantic train disaster. As bodies continue to be pulled out of the devastated downtown area, the scale of the disaster only grows.
It is impossible to feel anything but grief and sadness for this small Quebec town, comparable in size to Humboldt and, like Humboldt, with a rail line running through the downtown area.
With such obvious similarities, it is understandable, perhaps even natural, for people here to ask: Could that happen in our town? After all, it was less than two months ago that a train carrying crude oil derailed just outside of Jansen. The train that destroyed so much of Lac-Mégantic was also carrying crude oil; the ominous connection is an easy one to make, especially in the wake of such meaningless tragedy.
In the days following the disaster, there were news reports questioning the safety of rail lines running through Regina and Saskatoon, concerns that what happened in Quebec could happen here.
Could it? Yes. Will it happen? Almost certainly not, but the cold logic of probability does little to calm a racing mind. For all of our supposed rationality, human beings often revert to base instincts in the face of confirmation of their greatest fears.
You see on the news that a plane was hijacked and the next time you're on a flight you look a little more suspiciously at the guy in the seat next to you; you read about some freak accident on a roller coaster and suddenly every creak and moan on the ride becomes the first act in some macabre play; a train explodes thousands of kilometers away and all of a sudden that train whistle piercing the quiet night air isn't so comforting anymore.
For a lot of people these fears, though based on the most irrational of emotions, can influence their behavior in profound ways. I hate roller coasters and I don't particularly like the feeling of taking off in a plane, yet I hop into my car every day without a care in the world, even though people die in automobile accidents every single day. Does this make any sense? Of course not, but people aren't like Spock from Star Trek. We aren't programmed to recognize probabilities and adjust our expectations accordingly. If we were, you'd see a lot of people driving around with their hands glued to the wheel and a lot more people sleeping like babies on planes.
It's true that what happened in Lac-Mégantic could have happened anywhere, and maybe it's the idea that destruction is only an inattentive employee away that's so terrifying. Beyond the practical realities (there's no way that rail lines will be moved out of populated areas across Saskatchewan; the province was built that way, after all), there's no reason why what happened in Quebec should dramatically affect the way rail safety is perceived across Canada.
Of course, that doesn't mean there aren't lessons to be learned. It's obvious that something went terribly wrong in the hours leading up to the disaster. There are serious discussions to be had about oversight and safety regulations, especially as dangerous materials like crude oil are shipped by rail in increasing quantities.
None of that means that the next rail disaster is just around the corner. Risk is an uncomfortable but inevitable part of life and, as hard as it might be at times, it's one that must be viewed with as little emotion as possible. Most people don't get nervous as they get into their cars or step into the shower (according to a 2011 report by the Center for Disease Control, nearly two-thirds of accidental injuries involve the bathtub or toilet), so why worry about something that will almost certainly never happen?
Grieve for the people of Lac-Mégantic, hope for a safer rail industry, but don't worry. In these cases, it's best to think like Spock.
BC
