Westboro bus crash survivors, families say charges don't bring closure

Some of the survivors of January's fatal Westboro bus station crash and family members of the victims say the decision to lay 38 charges against the driver hasn't brought much closure.

On Friday, Ottawa police laid three charges of dangerous driving causing death and 35 charges of dangerous driving causing bodily harm against Aissatou Diallo.

• Driver in fatal OC Transpo bus crash facing 38 criminal charges

Diallo was behind the wheel of the OC Transpo double-deckerthat jumped the curb Jan. 11 and collided with the overhanging portion of the bus station's shelter.

The crashsliced open the roof of the bus, sendingpassengers flying through the front windshield. Others were crushed when the metalseats slammed together like an accordion.

Three people died and dozens were injured.

'Only part of the story'

"At the rate it's going, it's just a nightmare," said Karen Benvie, whose mother Judy Booth was killed that day.

Benvie said the charges don't offerinsight into what happened, why it happened, or what the city or OC Transpo havedone to make sure it never happens again.

More significantly, she worries the driver has become an easyscapegoat.

"She's only part of the story," Benvie said. "And we don't know the rest of the story."

Survivors, riders seek answers

Diallo was arrested and released the day of the crash.

Within days, CBC reported that Diallo was a rookie driver on probationand had been involved in a crash onemonth earlier at St. Laurent station.

Questions arose about OC Transpo's training process and whether the agency should be held accountable.There were concernsabout the safety of double-deckers involved now in two deadly crashes, as well asthe placement of the shelter overhangs at Westboro station.

BothOC Transpo and the city were also named in civil suits that allegednegligence.

• Bus crash survivor alleges negligence in $6M lawsuit

• Westboro bus crash survivor sues city for $19M

However, interim police Chief Steve Bell said an eight-month investigation determined no charges would be laid against the city or the transit agency.

"There will be no more further charges coming out of this investigation," said Bell.

Diallo is now scheduled to return to court in mid-September.

No comfort

Kathryn Rose was on the bus that day and witnessed first-handthe horrific sceneon the double-decker's second level.

Since then, she suffers fromanxiety and post-traumatic stress disorder. She has trouble getting on public transitand refuses to ride another double-decker.

• 'The screams and the silence': Survivor recalls fatal bus crash

Rose said the charges givesurvivors no information about what happened or insight into why only the driver is being held accountable.

"I'm feeling for the families of the deceased [and]the badly injured as well at this point,because this can't provide them with much comfort," Rose said.

"At least we're moving forward, I guess."

John Redins, a member of agrassroots organization called Ottawa Transit Riders that formed after the crash, said it was "surprising" the police placed so much blame on the driver.

Redins said he would have liked to have seen an inquiry like the oneundertaken by the TransportationSafety Board (TSB) following a fatal2013 crash between an OC Transpo double-decker bus and a Via Railtrain.

That inquiry featured a detailed account of what happened and led to recommendations on improving transit safety. The TSB only offered consultation to police, however, following the January crash.

'They want answers'

University of Ottawa criminologistSteveBittlesaid thatfor those affected by the January crash,the criminal justice process may prove less than satisfying.

"In many of these kinds of cases, they're looking not only for accountability of individuals or organizations ... they want answers as tohow this could possibly happen," Bittlesaid.

Those answers may not come ifthe driver pleads guilty and there is no trial, or if thecivil suits are settled out of court which is likely, Bittlesaid.

"It's not going to fulfil that broader notion of justice, of understanding what happened,asa way of potentially also preventing these kinds of things from happening in the future," he said.

As for Benvie, that's exactly the sort of information she'slooking for.

"That would finally give us the closure to move on," she said.