Terrible bus/train accident claims 6 lives

wprager wrote:

SeawaySensFan wrote:

SpezDispenser wrote:

Flo The Action wrote:

SpezDispenser wrote:Oh, I think the driver of that bus was either suicidal or had a heart attack or fell asleep.  There's something rotten in Denmark here.  As you said, there were people yelling at him to stop and he just kept going.  Who does that?

you don't want to go there unless you have to. it's got to be another option

Does it?  Who knows...

I just heard that one person who was on the bus says the driver did attempt to stop when he realized, too late, that the train was coming.

The gate was down and the lights flashing.  How do you "realize too late"?  I've crossed that intersection dozens of times, and was stopped at it 2 or 3 times.  The gate comes down quite a bit ahead of the train, so it must have been down for a while *before* the bus crashed through it.

Agree with that. I live in Barrhaven.. Before retirement, I travelled that transitway every weekday for many years. There is a left handed curve before the tracks... but there is an unobstructed view. I don't see how the driver could not see the train coming. He would be looking right at it as he went around the curve.. Something had to have happened.. ie failed brakes or something else. That gate does come quite a while before the train gets across... The train is going about 10 miles an hour. The buses are doing about 60 when they get to the tracks... or are supposed to. He tried to stop... not enough time. As bad as it is.. it could have been a lot worse.

So tragic. My thoughts and prayers go out to the victims and their families...

I wondered if glare had a hand in this. I was driving my kid to school this morning (earlier, though) and the sun was absolutely brutal. If I understand the location of the crash (this is not the level crossing on Fallowfield, but on the transit way itself, a bit north/north-west of the Fallowfield crossing. The transitway points roughly NNW, so at 8:45AM the Sun would have been behind and to the right of the bus:

http://suncalc.net/#/45.3028,-75.734,16/2013.09.18/08:45

I could see the sun being in the eyes of the drivers going South (from downtown), but not the other way. Maybe there was indirect glare reflected from a bus heading the other way?

Again, this is just hearsay but like a lot of other drivers when they come around the bend before the tracks they pick up speed before they hit the transit way and he could have very well done this out of habit and picked up enough speed where he couldn't slow down. Anyways, it doesn't really matter, 6 people lost their lives.

The gate and lights are very close to the level crossing. The transitway has a fairly big left turn as it goes from running parallel to the tracks, to crossing over them and running parallel to Woodroffe. As he is coming down the part parallel to the tracks the light is directly in his eyes from the right. Maybe that distracted or partially blinded him as he made the turn, and he didn't notice the lights/gate/train. Maybe they should move the gate back to before the bend.

This tragedy may have resulted in the deaths of 6 people but it has claimed more than that in terms of the families that need to deal with the devastation and not just from those that died but those severely injured and those severely traumatized after this. My heart goes out to all friends and family affected.

I can't even imagine some of the things that must have been seen by those people which is another tragic outcome of this... man.

Just found out last night that one of the victims was the son of a girl I worked with at a summer camp back in (I think) 1980. Whoa, that hits home, hard. We're thinking of moving to Barrhaven, and my oldest may be going to Ottawa-U next September. He could be taking this bus next year.

wprager wrote:Just found out last night that one of the victims was the son of a girl I worked with at a summer camp back in (I think) 1980.  Whoa, that hits home, hard.  We're thinking of moving to Barrhaven, and my oldest may be going to Ottawa-U next September.  He could be taking this bus next year.

My son went to school with Connor Boyd from elementary right through to high school. They kinda lost touch after that.. but he saw him at McDonald's just a short while ago... He is quite shook up about it. I remember Connor Boyd as a kid with a great personality... and quite the comedian... He was so young... so sad.. So sad for all of them...

sandysensfan wrote:

wprager wrote:Just found out last night that one of the victims was the son of a girl I worked with at a summer camp back in (I think) 1980.  Whoa, that hits home, hard.  We're thinking of moving to Barrhaven, and my oldest may be going to Ottawa-U next September.  He could be taking this bus next year.

My son went to school with Connor Boyd from elementary right through to high school.  They kinda lost touch after that.. but he saw him at McDonald's just a short while ago...  He is quite shook up about it.  I remember Connor Boyd as a kid with a great personality... and quite the comedian...  He was so young... so sad..  So sad for all of them...

That's the guy. I knew his mom when she was 14 or 15. I think it was 1979.

wprager wrote:

sandysensfan wrote:

wprager wrote:Just found out last night that one of the victims was the son of a girl I worked with at a summer camp back in (I think) 1980.  Whoa, that hits home, hard.  We're thinking of moving to Barrhaven, and my oldest may be going to Ottawa-U next September.  He could be taking this bus next year.

My son went to school with Connor Boyd from elementary right through to high school.  They kinda lost touch after that.. but he saw him at McDonald's just a short while ago...  He is quite shook up about it.  I remember Connor Boyd as a kid with a great personality... and quite the comedian...  He was so young... so sad..  So sad for all of them...

That's the guy.  I knew his mom when she was 14 or 15.  I think it was 1979.

Another Carleton student was alos killed.. Kyle Nash... he was friends with Connor Boyd. My son knew him also.. but not as well as Boyd. Barrhaven is a small community... so a lot of people will know some of those that died yesterday.

It could be an emotional tribute before the Sens game tonight..

Ottawa Police have released the names of the five victims who died in Wednesday's tragic collision between OC Transpo route 76 and the VIA Rail commuter train. All of the victims' families have been notified.

The victims are as follows:

Michael Bleakney, 57 years old
Connor Boyd, 21 years old
Karen Krzyzewski, 53 years old
Kyle Nash, 21 years old
Rob More, 35 years old
Dave Woodard, 45 years old

CFRA News wishes to express our condolences to the family, friends and loved ones of the victims and to those affected by yesterday's tragic events.