A bus driver is dead, and four students have been transported to hospital after a single-vehicle crash on Highway 401 near London Sunday.
Just after 9 a.m. a bus with 42 passengers on board was travelling from Kitchener-Waterloo to Point Pelee in Leamington, Ont. when it went into the ditch.
“I was at the very back of the bus, so all I saw was something fly off the side, and then everything was just kind of a blur after that,” recalled Charlotte Weldon, 13, one of the students from Kitchener-Waterloo Collegiate and Vocational School, also known as Kitchener Collegiate Institute.
“We were at the back, so we just opened the emergency hatch thing and just everyone kind of was helping people get out,” she added.
Two buses filled with students were en route to a three-day overnight geography trip.
OPP tell CTV News the driver of the bus has been pronounced deceased, and the cause of the crash and the cause of death of the driver are under investigation.
In an update from Middlesex County OPP late Sunday afternoon, the driver of the bus has been identified as a 52-year-old man from the Waterloo Region.
“We’ve got 42 passengers on board that school bus, four of which were transported to hospital with minor injuries and unfortunately, the driver of the school bus was pronounced deceased on scene,” said Const. Steven Duguay of West Region OPP.
Some students and their parents say the driver had a medical episode, but OPP have not confirmed those reports.
“Our traffic management enforcement team is there,” said Duguay. “They’re going to be doing their investigations at the scene and it’ll be a little bit before we know exactly what transpired and what caused this collision.”
Four students have been transported to hospital with minor injuries.
An emergency operations centre was set up at the East Lions Community Centre (ELCC) at 1731 Churchill Ave. in London for parents to pick up their children.
At ELCC students and their parents are shaken up and trying to recount what happened.
“He had a medical episode at the wheel and then we hit something,” said Maddie Knight who was on the bus with her twin sister Lily. “We were at the back of the bus so we could see from behind. We swerved down into the ditch area, and we hit another thing. We didn’t know what it was, but we hit it.”
“We realized it was a deer and then we kept going straight and then slid sideways and everyone fell on me because I was the side that hit the ground,” recalled Lily.
At ELCC many parents were distraught and hugging their children when they first arrived to reunite.
“It’s a scene where we have young people that it’s a little traumatic for them to experience something of this nature,” explained Duguay. “All first responders are getting on scene to make sure that those students that needed care immediately were taken care of. There’s no assessment going to be made at this time [of the cause of the driver’s death] until we look at all the facts.”
In an email to CTV News, a media relation spokesperson with the City of London says they have been receiving inquiries about donations at the reunification centre that’s been set up at East Lions, but the city wants to reiterate they are not accepting donations as its a reunification center and not an emergency or temporary shelter.
Highway 401 westbound east of County Road 74/Westchester Bourne and the ramps at Veterans Memorial Parkway were closed for most of the day, but were reopened shortly after 4:30 p.m.
Anyone with information regarding this collision, including dashcam footage, is asked to contact Middlesex OPP at 1-888-310-1122.
A statement from the director of education
In an email, a spokesperson from the Waterloo Region District School Board shared the following statement on behalf of Director of Education, Scott Miller.
“We learned earlier today that a school bus carrying students from Kitchener-Waterloo Collegiate and Vocational School (KCI) was involved in a collision on Highway 401 near London, Ontario. I am grateful to be able to share that the students involved in the collision are okay, with a small number transported to hospital to receive further medical assessment.
Staff have been in touch with the parents, families and caregivers of the students on the bus, and are coordinating next steps to return these students to be picked up. Another school bus carrying KCI students, not involved in the collision, is returning to the school. The well-being of our students is our top priority and staff will be available to provide them with access to supports and resources to support their well-being.
We are committed to keeping the parents, families and caregivers of the students involved in this incident informed, and will share further information as it becomes available."
With files from CTV News London’s Ashley Hyshka and CTV News Kitchener’s Alexandra Holyk
