This morning, the driver of a double decker bus in Ottawa, Canada drove around a railroad crossing barrier and plowed straight into the side of a passenger train, witnesses say.  One person described it as “Boom!  It went into the train like that!  He just didn’t stop.” Passengers were reportedly screaming “Stop!” as they watched the bus driver continue to drive them all into the side of the train.
CBS News reports,
A passenger train collided with a double-decker bus in Canada’s capital Wednesday, ripping off the front of the bus and killing five people, police said. Witnesses said the bus went through a closed crossing barrier, and passengers said they screamed “Stop, stop!” at the driver just before impact.
The crash in Ottawa occurred at the peak of morning rush hour.
It was Canada’s worst train accident since an oil train derailed and exploded in a Quebec town in July, killing dozens of people.
A number of bus passengers were injured, Ottawa Fire spokesman Mark Messier told CP24 television. Via Rail posted a message on Twitter saying there were no reports of major injuries to train passengers or crew. The locomotive and one passenger car derailed.
Tanner Trepaniere, who was on board the bus, said passengers could see the train bearing down on them as the bus approached the crossing.
“People started screaming, ‘Stop, stop!’ because they could see the train coming down the track,” said Trepaniere, who was sitting in the upper level.
Witnesses said the bus plowed directly into the side of the passing, four-car train.
Pascal Lolgis, who witnessed the crash, said the bus appeared to drive through a lowered crossing barrier.
“Boom! It went into the train like that,” Lolgis said. “”He just didn’t stop.”
Hat tip: 911BUFF
