Mountie killed helping motorists had history of putting his life on the line for others
It was hardly the first time RCMP Const. Francis Deschenes put himself on the line to help someone in a bind.
On Tuesday, the police officer's attempt to assist two stranded motorists would be his last.
Const. Deschenes, 35, was killed on the Trans Canada Highway near Memramcook, New Brunswick after his squad car and an SUV were struck by a utility van. He had pulled over to help the occupants of the SUV change a tire. All of the others involved in the collision have since been released from hospital.
In June of 2008, As it Happens host Carol Off spoke with Const. Deschenes after he helped prevent a potentially fatal accident in Nova Scotia.
A car had become stuck on the tracks, with the driver still inside — and with a train fast approaching. That's when Const. Deschenes arrived, and had just seconds to spare.
Here is part of Carol's conversation with Const. Deschenes, from our archives.
Const. Deschenes, where were you when you found that there was someone stuck on the train tracks?
I was in Truro at the time.
And what did you hear?
I heard that there was a motor vehicle collision in Brookfield and that a person was possibly on the track. I started heading down towards Brookfield in the police car and Const. Hill and Sylvester, which are on the Millbrook reserve, advised that the train had just passed by them.
They could hear the train, could they?
Basically, yeah. You could see the train from their office.
Could you estimate from hearing where the train had passed how close it was to the accident scene?
Well, I know the area pretty good. I could tell that it was about 10 kilometres away, at least.
Wow. When you got to the scene of the accident what did you see?
I saw the female driver in the front seat of her car trying to back out of the ditch and off the track. Obviously she didn't know the train was coming. I got out of my police car and ordered her out of the car and she didn't get out right away.
How much of her car was on the track?
At least three quarters of it, half of it.
So she wouldn't get out — do you know why?
She was just trying to get her car out of the ditch. She didn't know the train was coming at the time until I went to the car and told her, "Listen the train is coming. You have to get out of your car." I opened the door and just dragged her out, basically, and asked her to stay in the driveway which was nearby. I looked over north towards Brookfield and I could see the lights of the train coming. I just jumped back in my police car and pushed, with my police car, pushed the back end of her car in the ditch so it wouldn't be on the track. I just pushed it quite enough so the train wouldn't hit. It just cleared by inches when the train passed by.
Did you actually have to ram the car?
So how close was this for you?
I would say it was a couple klicks when I saw the train and got on the track. But after I got on the track we counted with the camera system about 45 seconds. The train passed by after.
Oh my gosh, and so were you afraid when you were on the track?
I didn't really think about it back then. I just acted. I didn't really think about what the danger could be. I only realized after what I had done.
RCMP spokesperson Cpl. Jullie Rogers-Marsh said flags on all RCMP buildings and establishments across the country will be flown at half-mast until sunset on the day of Deschênes's funeral, the details of which have not yet been released.
Members of the public can also pay their respects to Deschênes by signing books of condolence that have been set up at several locations across New Brunswick, she said.
The books will be available at these locations during normal business hours up to and including the day of the funeral:
RCMP New Brunswick headquarters, 1445 Regent St., Fredericton.
Codiac Regional RCMP, 520 Main St., Moncton.
Bathurst detachment, 900 Vanier Blvd., Bathurst.
Oromocto detachment, 4 Doyle Dr., Oromocto.
Sackville detachment, 31 Main St., Sackville.
The books will then be presented to Deschênes's family, said Rogers-Marsh.
People can also email their messages of condolence to [email protected].
With files from CBC News, Tori Weldon