Bus, train collide killing six and injuring dozens

To mark our 175th anniversary year, we feature a different front page each week from past Ottawa Citizens.

All of Ottawa was plunged into mourning when, on Sept. 18, 2013, an OC Transpo bus and a Via Rail train collided in the city's west end, killing six people and injuring dozens more.

The collision, between a Route 76 double-decker bus and the Toronto-bound train, occurred shortly before 9 a.m. at a level crossing on the Transitway near Fallowfield Road and Woodroffe Avenue, with the train shearing off the front of the bus. The bus's driver and five of its passengers were killed. Nearly three dozen other passengers on the bus were injured, many critically. None of the train's passengers or crew was hurt.

In the exchange between paramedics, firefighters and emergency dispatcher that immediately followed the crash, Craig Watson, president of the bus drivers' union, clearly identified the sentiment that would quickly envelop Ottawa residents as word of the morning 's disaster spread. “This is a tragedy for the whole city,” he said.

Prime Minister Stephen Harper, Ontario Premier Kathleen Wynne and Ottawa Mayor Jim Watson were among those who offered their thoughts and condolences. “Our city will mourn those we lost,” said John Baird, then Ottawa West-Nepean MP and foreign affairs minister, “and support those in need.”

A little more than two years after the collision, the Transportation Safety Board of Canada issued its final report on the crash, which was critical of OC Transpo policies and video equipment that the driver was required to monitor, likely distracting him from the road. “Given the same circumstances,” noted the TSB, “this accident could have happened to just about any driver.

“This entire accident,” the report continued, “unfolded within 39 seconds of the bus leaving the station, but the really critical window was much smaller. There was a window of only a few seconds to identify that the crossing signals were activated, to apply the brakes and stop the bus. Any distraction during this critical time would pose a significant challenge to any driver.” bdeachman@postmedia.com