A school bus driver has died and four children have been taken to hospital with minor injuries following a school bus crash off the westbound lanes of Highway 401 in London, Ont., Ontario Provincial Police (OPP) announced Sunday.
The crash and the ensuing investigation closed the highway’s westbound lanes between Veteran’s Memorial Parkway and Highbury Avenue for several hours, with police reopening the roadway just after 4:30 p.m.
The single-vehicle collision happened around 9:40 a.m., according to OPP Const. Steven Duguay, who said the bus veered off the highway before tipping over and coming to a stop.
“We’ve got 42 passengers on board that school bus, four of which were transported to the hospital with minor injuries,” Duguay said.
The school bus driver was pronounced dead on scene, according to Duguay. He said it’s too early in the investigation to determine what caused the driver’s death.
Police have no plans to release the name of the driver, who they confirmed to be a 52-year-old man from the Waterloo region.
Within two hours of the crash, police set up a command centre for the incident at the East Lions Community Centre in southeast London, where teary-eyed parents could be seen reuniting with their children on Sunday afternoon.
Parents and students told CBC News the bus was taking a Grade 9 class from the Kitchener Waterloo Collegiate and Vocational School, also known as the Kitchener Waterloo Collegiate Institute (KCI), to Point Pelee National Park for a multi-day school trip.
Charlotte Weldon, 13, was among the students that exited the community centre carrying pillows, bags and other items she brought for the trip. She spoke to CBC News still wearing mud-smeared clothing she wore while escaping from the bus.
Something hit it. The whole bus just kept going right, and then it ended up sideways in a ditch. We opened the emergency hatch and everyone was helping people get out,” Weldon said.
Linnea Knight said she was on the road almost as soon as her husband received a call from her twin daughters Maddie and Lily Knight.
“It was not the morning we expected. Maddie was freaking out and everyone was freaking out, and it just sounded loud [over the phone]. I ran upstairs, grabbed a sweater and my keys, and said ‘Where am I going?’” she said.
Maddie and Lily described the moments during and after the crash as hectic and scary.
“We were at the back of the bus, we saw wood flying, and then after that we swerved down into the ditch,” Maddie said. “Everyone fell on me because I was on the side that hit the ground.”
The sisters said they believed the the bus hit a sign before rolling over and sliding. Police evidence markers could be seen alongside what appeared to be a destroyed temporary construction sign.
Police investigate the scene of the crash on Highway 401. (Alessio Donnini/CBC News)
It’s unclear exactly how the crash happened, but several students and parents said the driver appeared to experience a medical emergency.
Police have not shared details and said it’s too early to determine why the bus left the road.
“I can’t confirm it was a medical episode or not,” Duguay said. “We don’t know if it was mechanical, if it was medical, or what transpired at this time.”
Happy to be bringing her daughters home mostly unscathed, Linnea said she hopes the crash spurs conversations about school bus safety.
“We just need to really be looking at the safe ways that we can get our kids to these educational experiences,” Linnea said.
In a written statement, Waterloo Region District School Board said “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.”
Scott Miller, the board’s director of education, said in the statement that a second school bus carrying KCI students that was not involved in the crash was rerouted to return to the school.
Supports will be offered to students in navigating the situation, the school board said.
