Ottawa bus in deadly crash moved from scene
5 men and 1 woman killed after bus collides with Via passenger train
Latest
- Via passenger train also moved away from crash site
- Bus hooked up to tow truck, to be moved to storage unit
- Data from locomotive black box now with investigators
- Police release names of 5 men, 1 woman killed in crash
- Mayor Jim Watson says city looking into design of rail crossing
The Ottawa city bus involved in a horrific crash with a Via passenger train Wednesday that left six people dead hasbeen towed away from the scene.
The OC Transpo bus, which hit the side of the train as it was passing through a level crossing on Wednesday morning, is expected to be moved to a storage unit for further investigation by the Transportation Safety Board.
The investigators will be looking at data obtained from recorders on both vehicles for clues as to what caused the crash. They'll also be analyzing otherphysical evidence gathered at the scene, as well as going over witness accounts.
"We're looking at everything, everything is on the table," said TSB manager Rob Johnston.
The "black box" event recorder from the locomotive of Via Rail Train 51 has been removed and investigators have downloaded information from it.
Via was ordered to equip its trains with cameras after a crash last year, but the process hasn't yet been completed and the train involved in Wednesday's crashdid not have a front camera, said Johnston.
Investigators also have some information from the event recorder of the Route 76OCTranspobus involved in the crash, but Johnston said it isn't clear what it mightcontain.
Earlier, investigators said they believe the bus hit the side of the train when the crash happened Wednesday morning at a level crossing in the south Ottawa community ofBarrhaven.
The front end of the bus was sheared off in the collision and five people were pronounced dead at the scene, including the driver. One bus passenger died later in hospital from injuries. More than 30 people were also injured in the crash.
Ottawa police have identified all six victims of the collision. They are:- David Woodard, 45, the driver and a 10-year veteran of OC Transpo.
- Connor Boyd, 21, a Carleton University student.
- Kyle Nash, 21, a Carleton University and Algonquin College student.
- Michael Bleakney, 57, a geotechnical engineer at Public Works.
- Karen Krzyzewski, 53, a mother of two who worked at Library and Archives Canada.
- Rob More, 35, an employee at the IBM building on Palladium Drive.
Injured people were also taken to several area hospitals, including 10 in critical condition. Three people with injuries from the crash checked into hospitals themselves.
Some of the injured were sent home with minor scrapes and bruises, while others awaited surgery. There were no serious injuries among train passengers.
Crash survivors struggle the day after
Several witnesses said the bus driver didn't brake at the rail crossing until moments before the collision but that it wasn't enough to stop the bus before hitting the train.
Greg Mech, who rode on the top of the double-decker bus, said from his perspective he thought the driver did not notice that thetrain track's signal lights were on and the gates were down.
- Driver had clean record before fatal crash
- Ottawa bus driver's widow: 'Something had to go wrong'
- Ottawa bus-train crash kills 6 in commuting horror
"People screamed on the bus shortly before the crash because he was not stopping,"Mechtold CBC News.
A day later, crash survivor Colleen Thomas said she was still haunted by what she saw Wednesday.
"At night, every time I would close my eyes, I would see the train hitting and ... I think I slept for 20 minutes last night.So I don't know.I'm just trying to process it," said Thomas.
"You just see the bodies, you see the twisted metal, the people, everyone running around. Just like the noise, people screaming, just like the impact of it is, I don't know, like I don't know how we're going to be able to get through this."
"We'll carry this with us for the rest of life. You don't get over that I'll never be able to make that go away," she said.
Thursday morning, one woman who was on the bus when it crashed struggled to get on another bus, but met withOCTransposupervisor BobDenault, who had helped her get off the bus on Wednesday after the crash.
The woman let a few buses pass by before steeling herself and climbing on another double-decker, according to the CBC'sSteve Fischer.
City to investigate level crossing
Ottawa Mayor Jim Watson said Wednesday he hadasked the city manager to gather any and all information about whether the intersection should have an underpass or an overpass.
This comes years after the city decided against an underpass at the crossing due to the $80-million price tag, CBC News reported Wednesday.
The whole issue of whether there should be an underpass or an overpass, were gathering all of that information. It was before my time as mayor, but Ive asked for the city manager to gather that information and provide it to the Transportation Safety Board," he said.
"And what I indicated today publicly is that obviously any recommendations to improve safety that come out of this inquiry we will do our utmost to adopt them.
- Level train crossings a high risk for collisions,TSBwarns
- Via train, Ottawa bus crash: eyewitness accounts
Ottawa police said that since they began monitoring collisions in the area in 2002, that there have been no crashes at the intersection of the rail crossing and theTransitway.
Craig Watson, president of the union representing Ottawa city bus drivers, said members were reeling from the driver's death.
Watson saidOCTranspodrivers have not had an issue with rail crossings in the past.
"Obviously we have that concern now," he told CBC News Network anchor CarolMacNeil.
- A history of fatal bus, van crashes in Canada
- Politicians tweet condolences following Ottawa bus crash
Commuter routes return to normal
The northbound lanes ofWoodroffeAvenue, which runs parallel to theTransitway, have reopened to traffic while one lane of southbound traffic closest to theTransitwayremains closed.
Via Rail service between Toronto and Ottawa is still affected, with some trains being replaced with bus service.
More than 100 people attended a vigil Wednesday for the victims in Barrhaven.Visitors lit candles, lay flowers and sang songs to remember those who lost their lives.
Its such a community, one man said, adding thatwhen photos of the victims were released, he thought he'drecognize some of them from being out and about in the community.
_(720p).jpg)
 OFFICIAL HD MUSIC VIDEO.jpg)
.jpg)
