Driver dead, kids injured after school bus crash on Highway 401 near London, Ont.

A school bus driver has died and four children have been taken to hospital with minor injuries following a school bus crash off the westbound lanes of Highway 401 in London, Ont., Ontario Provincial Police (OPP) announced Sunday.

The crash and the ensuing investigation closed the highway’s westbound lanes between Veteran’s Memorial Parkway and Highbury Avenue for several hours, with police reopening the roadway just after 4:30 p.m.

The single-vehicle collision happened around 9:40 a.m., according to OPP Const. Steven Duguay, who said the bus veered off the highway before tipping over and coming to a stop.

“We’ve got 42 passengers on board that school bus, four of which were transported to the hospital with minor injuries,” Duguay said.

The school bus driver was pronounced dead on scene, according to Duguay. He said it’s too early in the investigation to determine what caused the driver’s death.

Police have no plans to release the name of the driver, who they confirmed to be a 52-year-old man from the Waterloo region.

Within two hours of the crash, police set up a command centre for the incident at the East Lions Community Centre in southeast London, where teary-eyed parents could be seen reuniting with their children on Sunday afternoon.

Police said the cause of the crash is still under investigation.
(Alessio Donnini/CBC News)
Parents and students told CBC News the bus was taking a Grade 9 class from the Kitchener Waterloo Collegiate and Vocational School, also known as the Kitchener Waterloo Collegiate Institute (KCI), to Point Pelee National Park for a multi-day school trip.

Charlotte Weldon, 13, was among the students that exited the community centre carrying pillows, bags and other items she brought for the trip. She spoke to CBC News still wearing mud-smeared clothing she wore while escaping from the bus.

“Something hit it. The whole bus just kept going right, and then it ended up sideways in a ditch. We opened the emergency hatch and everyone was helping people get out,” Weldon said.

Linnea Knight said she was on the road almost as soon as her husband received a call from her twin daughters Maddie and Lily Knight.

“It was not the morning we expected. Maddie was freaking out and everyone was freaking out, and it just sounded loud [over the phone]. I ran upstairs, grabbed a sweater and my keys, and said ‘Where am I going?’” she said.

Maddie and Lily described the moments during and after the crash as hectic and scary.

“We were at the back of the bus, we saw wood flying, and then after that we swerved down into the ditch,” Maddie said. “Everyone fell on me because I was on the side that hit the ground.”

The sisters said they believed the the bus hit a sign before rolling over and sliding. Police evidence markers could be seen alongside what appeared to be a destroyed temporary construction sign.

Police investigate the scene of the crash on Hwy. 401.
Police investigate the scene of the crash on Highway 401. (Alessio Donnini/CBC News)
It’s unclear exactly how the crash happened, but several students and parents said the driver appeared to experience a medical emergency.

Police have not shared details and said it’s too early to determine why the bus left the road.

“I can’t confirm it was a medical episode or not,” Duguay said. “We don’t know if it was mechanical, if it was medical, or what transpired at this time.”

Happy to be bringing her daughters home mostly unscathed, Linnea said she hopes the crash spurs conversations about school bus safety.

“We just need to really be looking at the safe ways that we can get our kids to these educational experiences,” Linnea said.

In a written statement, Waterloo Region District School Board said “staff have been in touch with the parents, families and caregivers of the students on the bus, and are coordinating next steps to return these students to be picked up.”

Scott Miller, the board’s director of education, said in the statement that a second school bus carrying KCI students that was not involved in the crash was rerouted to return to the school.

Supports will be offered to students in navigating the situation, the school board said.

Related Posts

“My Husband Left for a Business Trip — Minutes Later, My Six-Year-Old Whispered, ‘Mommy… We Have to Run. Now.’”

My husband Derek had just left for a business trip when my six-year-old daughter tugged my sleeve with trembling fingers and whispered words that would shatter everything…

My husband kissed my forehead and said, “France. Just a short business trip.”

My husband kissed my forehead and said, “France. Just a short business trip.” A few hours later, as I stepped out of the operating room, my heart…

My eight-year-old son was beaten nearly to death in his grandfather’s driveway while three grown men laughed and held him down.

My eight-year-old son was beaten nearly to death in his grandfather’s driveway while three grown men laughed and held him down. That sentence still does not feel…

Never Had To Speak Until One Day Everything Changed

Wyatt came downstairs with that half-smile he had been wearing since he was seventeen, the one that meant he had already decided how the room was going…

I Was the Only One at My Grandpa’s Funeral Until a General Saw His Ring and Asked Me One Question

The Quiet Man As told by his granddaughter My grandfather was the quietest person in every room he ever entered. Not shy, not withdrawn, not socially inept…

My Parents Threw Me Out at 16 Until Years Later They Came Begging Without Knowing Who I Had Become

The Inheritance I was staring at the email when I realized my hands were shaking. The message glowed on my monitor, framed by the wide glass walls…