On Wednesday, September 18, 2013, at around 8:50 a., an OS Transpo double decker bus crashed into a VIA Rail train near the suburb of Barrhaven southwest of Ottawa. This devastating crash left six people died, five at the scene and one in hospital, eleven in critical condition, as well as thirty-four with injuries. The OS Transpo bus approaching the railroad barrier, which was down, when the passengers noticed that the driver should be slowing down but he was driving at the same pace. Passengers on board were screaming at the driver to slow the bus down but he didn't listen to them. The double decker bus slammed right through the barrier and finally the driver hit the brakes but it was too late, the VIA Rail train came and crashed right into the bus' front end ripping it off. Nobody knows why the driver didn't respond or why he didn't stop but passengers onboard are telling the media that the driver may have been distracted or the brakes may have jammed.
After reading this article I felt distraught, mournful, and very confused. I can't believe that a bus driver would be distracted and not looking on the road while driving. I'm pretty sure all the flashing lights and alarms sounds would catch his eye or his ear. I am also mournful for all the those whose families had to hear and bear the dreadful news of their relative being killed in an accident and those who had to experience the pain emotionally and mentally. If I were a family member or the person on the bus I would be traumatized by the wreckage and havoc that filled the air. I would have been broken down and unable to clear that very crash scene from my mind. My support and best wishes go out to all of those who were affected. This case is also really confusing. The main question in my head is what was the driver doing or thinking at the time? A bus driver's job is to get his passengers to their destination while keeping them safe.