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Via Rail train, Ottawa city bus collision leaves 5 dead
Bus appeared to ignore warning signals, witnesses say
CBC News Posted: Sep 18, 2013 9:12 AM ET Last Updated: Sep 18, 2013 11:20 AM ET
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Ottawa bus collision updates LIVE 11:59:59
Ottawa crash witness 5:56
Deadly Ottawa train-bus crash 5:20
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Updated
Five people are dead after a crash between a Via Rail train bound for Toronto and a double-decker bus in south Ottawa that also left several people injured and sent all responders in the nation's capital to the scene.
The OC Transpo bus was travelling north on the Transitway, and Train 51 en route to Toronto was heading west when the collision occurred.
Firefighters say the crash happened at 8:48 a.m. ET near the intersection of Woodroffe Avenue and Fallowfield Road.
The front end of the bus suffered significant damage, firefighters added.
Greg Mech said he was riding atop the double-decker bus when it crashed "head-on" into the train. He said some people saw the train and expected the bus to stop, but it didn't.
"From what I can tell the bus driver did not notice that these train track's signal lights were on and the gates were down. People screamed on the bus shortly before the crash because he was not stopping," Mech told CBC News.
Witnesses said the bus appeared to ignore warning signals at the crossing. Pascal Lolgis, who witnessed the crash, said the bus appeared to drive through a lowered crossing barrier.
"Boom! It went into the train like that,"Lolgis said. "He didn't stop. He must have lost his brakes. Or he had an … attack or whatever.
"He just didn't stop. He just keep going like that. Then he gets hit."
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Another witness, Mark Cogan, said the rail barrier was down.
"The train is going through," Cogan said. "And I was just looking around, just watching things happen. And noticed that in the bus lane, the double-decker bus … I saw him and he just kept going.
"I just thought maybe there's a side way around or something but instantly he just … he smoked the train. He went through the guard rail and just hammered the train and then it was just mayhem."
There were four people transported to the Queensway-Carleton Hospital in west Ottawa with non-life threatening injuries and four others transported to The Ottawa Hospital's Civic campus with more severe injuries.
Passenger recounts 'horrible' crash
David Hugill was aboard the train when it crashed.
"It's horrible. What can I say? It was really undramatic on the train. It certainly didn't feel like it was an incident of that magnitude from where we were sitting," said Hugill.
"It's a brutal, brutal thing."
All of Ottawa's first responders responded to the crash site. Transport Canada officials and Transportation Safety Board investigators have also arrived at the scene.
Via Rail said there were no major injuries reported on the train, but it suspended its Ottawa-Toronto service.
Woodroffe Avenue is closed in both directions between Fallowfield and Slack roads.
Ottawa Mayor Jim Watson, police Chief Charles Bordeleau and the head of OC Transpo John Manconi are expected to hold a news conference later Wednesday.
Bus appeared to ignore warning signals, witnesses say
CBC News Posted: Sep 18, 2013 9:12 AM ET Last Updated: Sep 18, 2013 11:20 AM ET
►Ottawa bus collision updates LIVE 11:59:59
Ottawa crash witness 5:56
Deadly Ottawa train-bus crash 5:20
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Related Stories
- Latest updates from the train/bus collision
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- Via train, Ottawa bus crash in pictures
Did you see the crash? Please let us know.
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Updated
- 5 people dead and at least four injured in crash
- Bus ignored warning signals before crash, witnesses say
- "It's a brutal, brutal thing,' train passenger David Hugill says of crash
- Ottawa mayor, police chief, OC Transpo head to hold 11:15 a.m. news conference
Five people are dead after a crash between a Via Rail train bound for Toronto and a double-decker bus in south Ottawa that also left several people injured and sent all responders in the nation's capital to the scene.
The OC Transpo bus was travelling north on the Transitway, and Train 51 en route to Toronto was heading west when the collision occurred.
Firefighters say the crash happened at 8:48 a.m. ET near the intersection of Woodroffe Avenue and Fallowfield Road.
The front end of the bus suffered significant damage, firefighters added.
Greg Mech said he was riding atop the double-decker bus when it crashed "head-on" into the train. He said some people saw the train and expected the bus to stop, but it didn't.
"From what I can tell the bus driver did not notice that these train track's signal lights were on and the gates were down. People screamed on the bus shortly before the crash because he was not stopping," Mech told CBC News.
Witnesses said the bus appeared to ignore warning signals at the crossing. Pascal Lolgis, who witnessed the crash, said the bus appeared to drive through a lowered crossing barrier.
"Boom! It went into the train like that,"Lolgis said. "He didn't stop. He must have lost his brakes. Or he had an … attack or whatever.
"He just didn't stop. He just keep going like that. Then he gets hit."
1 of 2
Another witness, Mark Cogan, said the rail barrier was down.
"The train is going through," Cogan said. "And I was just looking around, just watching things happen. And noticed that in the bus lane, the double-decker bus … I saw him and he just kept going.
"I just thought maybe there's a side way around or something but instantly he just … he smoked the train. He went through the guard rail and just hammered the train and then it was just mayhem."
There were four people transported to the Queensway-Carleton Hospital in west Ottawa with non-life threatening injuries and four others transported to The Ottawa Hospital's Civic campus with more severe injuries.
Passenger recounts 'horrible' crash
David Hugill was aboard the train when it crashed.
"It's horrible. What can I say? It was really undramatic on the train. It certainly didn't feel like it was an incident of that magnitude from where we were sitting," said Hugill.
"It's a brutal, brutal thing."
All of Ottawa's first responders responded to the crash site. Transport Canada officials and Transportation Safety Board investigators have also arrived at the scene.
Via Rail said there were no major injuries reported on the train, but it suspended its Ottawa-Toronto service.
Woodroffe Avenue is closed in both directions between Fallowfield and Slack roads.
Ottawa Mayor Jim Watson, police Chief Charles Bordeleau and the head of OC Transpo John Manconi are expected to hold a news conference later Wednesday.
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