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THE CANADIAN PRESS

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CALGARY - Several people were taken to hospital Wednesday after a jarring crash between a light-rail transit train and an overhead crane sent passengers sprawling into the aisles.

The mid-morning accident occurred when the boom arm of the mobile crane punched through the front window on the driver's side of the train. The impact left a gaping hole and caused the train to derail as it ground to a screeching halt.

"I was reading my book. The driver honked the horn, slammed on the brakes and the train goes squish," recalled passenger Brian Walker.

There was no screaming or panic, said Walker, who described how about three dozen passengers on what is known in Calgary as the C-Train went flying.

He said it all happened quickly.

"Not much (was going through my head). Stuff happens. I used to be with search and rescue and I've seen this from the other side often enough."

"Everyone basically just grabbed their cellphones, called 911 and made sure everybody was OK."

Paramedics assessed 36 people who were on the three-car transit train. Six people, including the train's driver and a 10-year-old girl who may have hurt her ribs, were taken to hospital, but none of the injuries was considered life-threatening. One woman was believed to have broken a hip.

The train can reach speeds up to 80 kilometres an hour.

"Considering the train did derail and depending on the volume of passengers that could have been on the train, and if it were a different time of day, things could have been substantially worse," said Stuart Brideaux of Calgary Emergency Medical Services.