TTC crash victim had just left temple
A family is grieving after a commercial truck collided with a TTC bus on Tuesday, killing a 52-year-old grandmother and injuring 12 others, in a tragedy that shaken witnesses say seemed avoidable.
On Wednesday, relatives spoke to the Star about Manoranjana Kanagasabapathy, who lived with her husband in Scarborough.
Theepan Thavarajah, Kanagasabapathy’s 30-year-old son-in-law, said she had two children.
Her son recently graduated from Ryerson University and her daughter gave birth to Kanagasabapathy’s first granddaughter last September.
“It was devastating. We were in denial — I would say we are still in denial,” Thavarajah said. “We’re still expecting her to walk in any time.”
Kanagasabapathy was stepping onto a westbound Steeles Ave. bus at Middlefield Rd. on Tuesday when a cube truck travelling in the opposite direction crossed over, jumped the curb and smashed into the front of the bus, police said Wednesday. She was on her way to work at TD Canada Trust headquarters and had just come from praying at a nearby Hindu temple, her family said. She was pronounced dead at the scene.
Cousin Sunthareswary Sachchithananthan, 46, remembered Kanagasabapathy as the one to always organize family gatherings.
“She’s a great person to us . . . everything she bring out, positive,” Sachchithananthan said. “A big wind come and blow it all away.”
Witnesses to the crash question how it could have happened.
Karan Shetty was in the passenger seat of his work truck at the intersection, stopped at a red light next to the TTC bus, when he saw the cube truck make what he thought was a left turn. Shetty said he saw the driver talking on his cellphone.
In the moments before the impact, he’d seen a woman walking toward the bus stop. Then the cube truck slammed into the bus.
“I jumped out of the truck to make sure everything’s OK,” Shetty said. “I wanted to check that lady who was walking and she was right beneath the truck — and this guy was still on the phone.”
On Wednesday, police provided new details on the fatal collision as they appealed for witnesses to come forward.
Police said that at 11:30 a.m., a westbound TTC bus driven by a 36-yearold male employee stopped just east of Middlefield Rd., where Kanagasabapathy was boarding and a 43-yearold woman was exiting.
At that time, an eastbound 2010 Hino commercial truck driven by a 40year-old man crossed into the westbound lanes, jumped the curb and hit a hydro pole before striking the front right corner of the bus. No charges have been laid. Spokeswoman Kim McKinnon said three people were transported to Sunnybrook Hospital’s trauma centre — the drivers of the bus and the truck, both in serious condition, and the woman exiting the bus, who was in more serious condition. Nine others were taken to hospitals in Markham and Scarborough and treated for minor injuries.
The owner of Wilby Commercial, which owns the truck involved in Tuesday’s crash, said the driver has worked for him for more than two years.
“I haven’t talked to him, but last thing I heard was he was released from the hospital,” said the man, who gave his name only as Willie. He said he is still waiting for a police report and to talk to the insurance company.
TTC spokesman Brad Ross said the bus driver, a TTC employee for six years, had to be rescued by emergency crews using the Jaws of Life. Ross said the driver’s injuries were minor and he was released Tuesday.
“He is badly shaken by what occurred and we’ll be providing whatever support he needs by way of counselling,” Ross said in an email.