"VIA train and Ottawa city bus collide during morning commute, ‘multiple’ fatalities reported"

An unknown number of people are dead after a Via Rail train and an Ottawa city collided in the city’s southwest end Wednesday morning.

The front end of the double-decker OC Transpo bus is severely damaged, images from the scene near Woodroffe Avenue and Fallowfield Road show. Witnesses say at the front part of the bus was ripped off by the impact, which occurred in the middle of the morning commute, at about 8:50 a.m.

Fire services said at least two or three of the train’s cars are off the tracks, and that all of the casualties are on the bus, with no injuries on the train.

There are “multiple” fatalies, Ottawa fire services told CP24. Global TV is reporting four people are dead.

UPDATE: At least five people are dead after a Via Rail train and an Ottawa city collided in the city’s southwest end Wednesday morning, Ottawa Fire says.

Source
Oh no! another train accident in Canada.

Another instance when lives can be irrecoverably changed in the span of a few short seconds.



Anyone else feeling mass transit is becoming increasingly unsafe

In any case, thoughts and prayers to those affected by this.

I saw this on the news, and it hits close to home as my sister takes a bus on the same route to get to Algonquin College. She's fine of course, as her class is later in the day, as is my Dad. So I'm just happy that my sis and dad are fine.

Of course, it's a bit harder when one like me lives quite a distance away from half their family in Canada, me being in British Columbia with my mum. We called them as soon as we heard the news, to our relief of my sister being alright. (my father drives to work and takes a different route).

reply to post by VoidFire


I am glad to hear everyone is alright!

I to have family up there, I will be checking up when I can.

reply to post by MDDoxs



GF is like 2 mins from the scene she said the whole front end is gone.

Odd they deployed a Hazmat Unit to the scene.

Live feed.Keep in mind it's live dispatch chatter so not all of it concerns the accident here.

Ottawa: OPP, EMS, Fire

reply to post by canDarian


Yea, I have seen some photos of the front end gone.

I don't understand how these accidents happen. Its a train, on some tracks. How can you not be aware of an oncoming train..

MDDoxs
reply to post by VoidFire

 

I am glad to hear everyone is alright!

I to have family up there, I will be checking up when I can.

Not EVERYONE is alright...at least 5 people dead, several serious injuries (air ambulances called in).

No one knows why the bus kept going. The railway crossing guards were down and working properly. So either the bus had something wrong with breaks, the driver was incapacitated, or who knows?!

Sad to hear, first thing on the news I see after waking up

reply to post by Skywatcher2011


My comment was in reply to a previous poster who said their relatives in the area were alright.

I am painfully aware that not "EVERYONE" is alright.

Skywatcher2011

MDDoxs
reply to post by VoidFire

 

I am glad to hear everyone is alright!

I to have family up there, I will be checking up when I can.

Not EVERYONE is alright...at least 5 people dead, several serious injuries (air ambulances called in).

No one knows why the bus kept going. The railway crossing guards were down and working properly. So either the bus had something wrong with breaks, the driver was incapacitated, or who knows?!

Sad to hear, first thing on the news I see after waking up

They stated earlier on chatter that 6 are confirmed dead with 5 critically injured,and a Hazmat team is on scene for reasons yet unknown,I know there is a possible gasleak on a private residence near the scene but that wouldn't require deployment of them,I guess maybe the vehicle is leaking.

Ok so they canceled the code,so thats a relief you hear code Orange be afraid "CBRNE or Chemical(C), Biological (B), Radio-Nuclear(RN), Explosive(E) or environmental (E) events due to natural, accidental or intentional acts"

Possible gas leak in the area would explain why the bus kept going...the driver may have been incapacitated from the gases and knocked unconscious.

reply to post by MDDoxs


I won't comment any further than by saying use words carefully....should you have said "everyone in your family is alright" I would have perceived your reply as being specific. Taking shortcuts to responses is not always a good idea on serious topics if you know what I mean. But I got your drift...just needed the final clarification.

canDarian

Skywatcher2011

MDDoxs
reply to post by VoidFire

 

I am glad to hear everyone is alright!

I to have family up there, I will be checking up when I can.

Not EVERYONE is alright...at least 5 people dead, several serious injuries (air ambulances called in).

No one knows why the bus kept going. The railway crossing guards were down and working properly. So either the bus had something wrong with breaks, the driver was incapacitated, or who knows?!

Sad to hear, first thing on the news I see after waking up

They stated earlier on chatter that 6 are confirmed dead with 5 critically injured,and a Hazmat team is on scene for reasons yet unknown,I know there is a possible gasleak on a private residence near the scene but that wouldn't require deployment of them,I guess maybe the vehicle is leaking.

Ok so they canceled the code,so thats a relief you hear code Orange be afraid "CBRNE or Chemical(C), Biological (B), Radio-Nuclear(RN), Explosive(E) or environmental (E) events due to natural, accidental or intentional acts"

edit on 18-9-2013 by canDarian because: (no reason given)

All news agencies are speculating and are totally lost in this story. They said this, he said that, she said this many...blah blah blah...

Until the RCMP get into the spotlight to clarify how many died in this tragedy, the numbers 5 & 6 are just trivial. Who knows if any of the seriously injured have died enroute or at the hospital they were being transported to.

reply to post by Skywatcher2011

Taking short cuts?

If you had read my post and the affiliated "reply to" then you would have understood the context. I suggest that it was you that took a short cut and not reading the original post I was replying too.

Thanks buddy.

Rezlooper
Possible gas leak in the area would explain why the bus kept going...the driver may have been incapacitated from the gases and knocked unconscious.

edit on 18-9-2013 by Rezlooper because: (no reason given)

Possible, but doesn't seem very likely.

If gas concentrations were strong enough to engulf a moving vehicle and incapacitate the driver, I'd think there would be wide scale instances of people in the area passing out and having other issues. Not to mention that, while not air tight, a bus is pretty well enclosed and it would take a long time, even if just sitting still in a cloud of gas, for the gas to penetrate into the bus enough to incapacitate the driver.

People would also smell the gas long before people started passing out.

Skywatcher2011

canDarian

Skywatcher2011

MDDoxs
reply to post by VoidFire

 

I am glad to hear everyone is alright!

I to have family up there, I will be checking up when I can.

Not EVERYONE is alright...at least 5 people dead, several serious injuries (air ambulances called in).

No one knows why the bus kept going. The railway crossing guards were down and working properly. So either the bus had something wrong with breaks, the driver was incapacitated, or who knows?!

Sad to hear, first thing on the news I see after waking up

They stated earlier on chatter that 6 are confirmed dead with 5 critically injured,and a Hazmat team is on scene for reasons yet unknown,I know there is a possible gasleak on a private residence near the scene but that wouldn't require deployment of them,I guess maybe the vehicle is leaking.

Ok so they canceled the code,so thats a relief you hear code Orange be afraid "CBRNE or Chemical(C), Biological (B), Radio-Nuclear(RN), Explosive(E) or environmental (E) events due to natural, accidental or intentional acts"

edit on 18-9-2013 by canDarian because: (no reason given)

All news agencies are speculating and are totally lost in this story. They said this, he said that, she said this many...blah blah blah...

Until the RCMP get into the spotlight to clarify how many died in this tragedy, the numbers 5 & 6 are just trivial. Who knows if any of the seriously injured have died enroute or at the hospital they were being transported to.

I wasn't speculating,I was listening to OPP and EMT communications as well as talking to my GF who was on scene.

Freaked when i saw the news article and immediately contacted my son to make sure he was alright. Thoughts and prayers to the families involved. I heard speculation on a news site that the glare of the sun may have prevented the bus driver from seeing the flashing lights warning of the train approaching.

AccessDenied
Freaked when i saw the news article and immediately contacted my son to make sure he was alright. Thoughts and prayers to the families involved. I heard speculation on a news site that the glare of the sun may have prevented the bus driver from seeing the flashing lights warning of the train approaching.

Don't think that was it,everyone on the bus was FREAKING and screaming at him to backup.

canDarian

AccessDenied
Freaked when i saw the news article and immediately contacted my son to make sure he was alright. Thoughts and prayers to the families involved. I heard speculation on a news site that the glare of the sun may have prevented the bus driver from seeing the flashing lights warning of the train approaching.

Don't think that was it,everyone on the bus was FREAKING and screaming at him to backup.

Which would fit that he was either really disoriented or unconscious...doesn't mean it has to be gas, maybe he is diabetic or some other condition.