Manitoba sheriff killed in train crash was proud First Nation man, dad with another child on the way: sister

Family, friends and co-workers are in mourning after the death of Brett Matheson, a Manitoba sheriff whose vehicle was involved in a collision with a train west of Portage la Prairie on Tuesday.

Manitoba sheriff killed in train crash was proud First Nation man, dad with another child on the way: sister Brett Matheson-Maytwayashing, 27, died when van he was driving hit train west of Portage la Prairie, RCMP say A Portage la Prairie man is being remembered as a hard-working social butterfly and proud First Nation father who was wise beyond his years, after the Manitoba sheriff died on the job when his vehicle collided with a train. Brett Matheson-Maytwayashing, 27, died on Tuesday when the Manitoba Sheriff Services van he was driving crashed into a train near Portage la Prairie, his sister Brianna Bezan said.

"It was my worst fear.... It's just very sudden and not fair," Bezan, 34, said through tears on Wednesday. "He just had that gift of being a light."

Investigators said Tuesday the van and train collided that morning on Road 40 W., north of the Trans-Canada Highway and just west of Portage la Prairie, a city about 85 kilometres west of Winnipeg. In a Tuesday news release, RCMP said the driver of the van died and a passenger was taken to hospital with minor injuries.

The RCMP's release did not identify the driver. RCMP said they are still investigating, along with Workplace Safety and Health and CN police. Bezan said as far as she knows at this point, the crash was a tragic accident.

Authorities told her family the passenger was a co-worker of Matheson-Maytwayashing, she said. While they wait for answers, loved ones are reeling from the sudden loss of a family man known for his patience and motivation. Matheson-Maytwayashing previously worked in security and for the Manitoba Commissionaires before becoming a sheriff, said Bezan.

He was focused on providing for his wife and kids, and had another child on the way this fall, about a month after Bezan is due with her first, she said. "When he found out I was expecting, I guess they got on it," Bezan said with a laugh. "He was excited to have close cousins right away....

He was a proud uncle to my sister's kids." He was also always sober, something Bezan told him she admired. "It was the biggest flex to say that he's never had a drop of alcohol in his life, he's never done a drug," she said.

He was also known for his comforting presence, sense of humour and care for people, his sister said. "He made people feel comfort, welcomed and just to be themselves as well, because he was so genuine and not shy," said Bezan. "He was wise beyond his years, and he just made people feel seen, provided guidance when it mattered, but also he could have those deep relationships [and] also be silly....

There was a balance." Part of the balance that made up Matheson-Maytwayashing's personality was his pride for Ojibway culture, following in the footsteps of their father, said Bezan. He participated in ceremonies and "embraced it, and invited his friends and made it acceptable in his circle," she said.

Matheson-Maytwayashing was also "very proud to have that traditional long hair." Bezan is sad she won't be able to give him traditional braids again. "What I'm feeling is ... a sense of emptiness, like a piece of me is now gone, because it's always been me, my sister and my brother," she said through tears.

"Absorbing the fact I cannot call or reach out to him or hear him anymore, it just hurts."