Driver in two other collisions

OTTAWA • The driver of the double-decker bus that struck an Ottawa transit station and killed three passengers was involved in two collisions before Friday’s fatal accident and was on the road for less than a year.

Aissatou Diallo was at the wheel of OC Transpo bus 269 en route to Kanata’s Bridlewood neighbourhood from downtown on Friday when the bus crashed into the overhang of the bus shelter at Westboro station just before 4 p.m. The overhang sliced through the upper level of the double-decker bus. In addition to the three killed, 23 people were injured. Police say the 90-passenger bus was almost at capacity.

Diallo was arrested at the scene, taken to police headquarters and questioned before being released unconditionally Friday night.

While police have not publicly detailed why she was arrested, sources said Diallo allegedly was not cooperative with police on the scene.

Diallo has not been charged and police maintain that, right now, they have no grounds to believe any offence was committed. Police Chief Charles Bordeleau urged the public to not “read into” the arrest.

Ottawa police collision investigators continue what police have called the “painstaking” process of piecing together what went wrong Friday afternoon. That investigation will look at what witnesses have already described as possible factors in the crash — sun producing glare in a driver’s field of vision, reports of black ice on the transitway — as well as the possibility of mechanical failure and the speed of the bus. All stations are equipped with video and a command centre can determine the speed of any vehicle on the road, drivers have said.

Police will also be looking at Diallo’s driving record, which multiple sources say includes at least two other collisions in the months before the Westboro incident.

On Dec. 10, Diallo was driving a bus that collided with another bus at St. Laurent station. Firefighters responded to reports of passengers trapped on one of the buses. One woman was treated for a head injury.

After the accident, Diallo was sent for further safety training, according to a source.

Police spokesman Const. Chuck Benoit said the force would not be addressing questions about any previous collisions involving the driver.

“The Westboro collision is an ongoing investigation and very complex,” Benoit said. “We will not be able to comment on any person that is part of any ongoing investigations.”

The president of the union representing OC Transpo drivers refused to answer questions about Diallo’s driving record, her current status as a driver, when she was hired, what happens when a driver is involved in any collision, or if any additional training is mandated when such an incident occurs.

Clint Crabtree also refused to answer questions about what the protocol is for drivers involved in a collision where police respond to the scene.

In a statement Crabtree said: “We are deeply saddened about the tragic accident involving an OC Transpo bus on Friday, January 11, 2019.

“On behalf of the members of (the Amalgamated Transit Union) Local 279, we send our deepest condolences to the families who lost loved ones. Our thoughts are with those who were passengers or were injured on that bus, or who might have witnessed this collision.”

Ottawa police have assigned six collision investigators to the crash. They are working with OC Transpo, the Ontario Ministry of Transportation and Transport Canada.

Mayor Jim Watson stuck up for the double-decker buses, which were introduced to the city’s fleet in 2009. Since then, 133 doubledeckers have been added. The buses have met all the necessary federal and provincial safety regulations, Watson said.

“I have complete confidence in these buses,” he said.

“If there’s new information that comes from the police investigation, obviously we will take that into account, but at this point, I have full confidence that our mechanics and our professional staff have done and continue to do everything they can to ensure our entire bus fleet is safe and reliable.”

Watson wouldn’t get into the experience of the doubledecker driver.

“I think it would be entirely inappropriate to offer comment,” the mayor said. “I don’t know the individual personally, I don’t know the individual’s track record, and I don’t want to prejudice what the police department is doing by offering an offhand comment.”