Carleton mourns 3 students after deadly crash

Family and friends are mourning the loss ofthree Carleton University students who died Wednesday morning after an SUV collided with a transitbus in Ottawa's south end.

Two otherpeople were injured whenthe 1992 Toyota 4Runner SUV carrying five peoplewas struck by an OC Transpo busnear Riverside Drive and Heron Road around 1:50 a.m., police said.

The man driving the bus and his lonepassenger were not injured, the Ottawa Paramedic Service said.

As of 2 p.m., Ottawa police said they have identified theyoung man driving theSUV and two female passengers who died in the crash, butwould notrelease the information at the families' request.

Friends and family identified the dead asCarleton Universitystudents Mark MacDonald, 20, Brianne Deschamps, 19, andVanessa Crawford, 19.

Steven Deschamps, father of Brianne Deschamps, said the two young women were best friends and roommates who grew up together in the southwestern Ontario town of Petrolia.

He said hisdaughter dreamed of becoming a music teacher.

"She just loved life and she just loved being around people," he said.

The Ministry of Transporation has confirmed that the SUV involved in the crash is registered to MacDonald.

As of 10 a.m., oneyoung manfrom theSUVremained in hospital in critical but stable condition with head injuries,while a womanwithback injuries hadbeen released, police said.

Friends identified the young man as electrical engineering student Ben Gardiner, 20.

Emily Jackson, one of several friends gathered at the hospital, said the injured passengers also went to Carleton.

Carleton University president Samy Mahmoud issued a brief statement Wednesday calling the news of the crash "devastating." Heextended his condolences to the families of the dead students and said the university's flags werelowered to half-mast in their memory. He added that he prays for the recovery of the two injured.

Carleton University Students' Association president Shelley Melanson offered her condolences also.

Police said the bus was travelling north on Riverside Drive when it collided with the SUV heading westbound on Heron Road.

The bus driver told investigators that he had a green light, Const. Mike Herasimenko of the Ottawa police collision investigation unit said Wednesday morning.

"But there are no independent witnesses at this time so it's still under investigation," he said.

Intersection open again

The intersectionreopened by late morning, but police were still examining evidence such as traffic camera footage. They said alcohol may have been a factor. Herasimenko said the two vehicles involved were to be checked for mechanical problems.

The wreckage of the SUVa crumpled frame with smashed windows andblown tires was loaded onto a flatbed truck.

Ottawa Paramedic Service team leader Stphane Gareau saidthe driver's side of thetruck "was encroached inside the cab of the vehicle by a good two to three feet."

The bus was about20 metres away, down an embankment, where itcame to a stopafter hitting and dislodging a traffic light, CBC reporter Karina Roman said from the scene.

According to aCity of Ottawa road safety report, there were 39 collisions at Riverside and Heron in 2006 more than at any other intersection in the city.