School Bus Accident on Crowchild - Update

[ken0042]

I just hope that some good can come out of this terrible tragedy. Maybe the school system needs to be re-worked so that kids aren't spending so much time in rush hour traffic.

Back in Winnipeg, the only kids who took school buses were the ones who lived outside the city (places similar to Langdon, for example), and the kids like Fotze who took the short bus for any number of reasons for being "special."

When my parents were here to visit once, we passed a Transit bus full of kids. My mom commented that she'd hate to be a regular passenger on that bus, then I told her it was a school bus.

[greyshep]

Originally Posted by ken0042

I just hope that some good can come out of this terrible tragedy. Maybe the school system needs to be re-worked so that kids aren't spending so much time in rush hour traffic.

Back in Winnipeg, the only kids who took school buses were the ones who lived outside the city (places similar to Langdon, for example), and the kids like Fotze who took the short bus for any number of reasons for being "special."

When my parents were here to visit once, we passed a Transit bus full of kids. My mom commented that she'd hate to be a regular passenger on that bus, then I told her it was a school bus.

Agreed on the time kids spend on the roads. It has become excessive.

The ironic thing is that in places like you mention (Langdon) they have their own local schools now. I live in Langdon and the earliest my children will be faced with the potential of taking the bus is grade 9. I am somewhat optimistic that we will have a high school here by then as the area is growing extremely quickly and Chestermere high school will soon be bursting at the seams if it isnt already.

For now my kids are able to walk to school and I am very grateful for that.

My friends that live in the city in newer/young communities are forced to send their school aged kids on buses across the city as the population demographics have changed so greatly. Many schools are in areas where there is an older population. Not sure what the solution is to that. I know its a topic of much discussion.

[4X4]

Just saw on the news that the driver has been charged. The maximum punishment for each charge is $2000 and 6mo.

[Wookie]

Just saw on the news that the driver has been charged. The maximum punishment for each charge is $2000 and 6mo.

With what?

Mods can you maybe change title to reflect age of original post. Reading the thread again was a little disappointing thinking "not again" took about three comments before I figured to look at the date.

Not complaining at you 4x4.

[fredr123]

Originally Posted by Wookie

With what?

http://calsun.canoe.ca/News/Alberta/...5/5100056.html

Louise Rogers, 40, faces charges under the Traffic Safety Act of unlawfully operating a motor vehicle on a highway in a careless manner, unlawfully driving a motor vehicle from one traffic lane to another when such movement could not be made safely and unlawfully driving so as to cross a solid line when could not be done safely.

That's an odd way to phrase the charges. I expect tomorrow's papers will have a better description.

Edit: More from today's Herald:

"The investigation that we did was lengthy and in-depth and the evidence that we were able to glean from the case did not support any criminal charges," said Sgt. Doug McIlwraith.

Rogers is charged with careless driving, failing to safely remain in the centre of the lane and unsafely crossing a solid line. She is scheduled to appear in provincial court on April 15.

The three charges fall under the province's Traffic Safety Act and carry a maximum penalty of a $2,000 fine or six months in jail for each.

Investigators interviewed children aboard the bus, motorists who saw the collision, performed toxicology tests and executed search warrants and could find no evidence of criminal wrongdoing, said McIlwraith.

"The evidence doesn't support that she fell asleep, doesn't support that she was on a cellphone, doesn't support that she was impaired," he said.

"There was some short time of inattention that caused her to leave the roadway."

McIlwraith said police and prosecutors were guided by a Supreme Court of Canada decision, handed down last month, that ruled a momentary lapse in concentration didn't warrant a criminal charge such as dangerous driving.

[4X4]

Yea, sorry about the brevity of my post. Some friends showed up just as I located the original thread... Looks like fredr123 has it under control...

[Cube Inmate]

I think many people will be disappointed with the very limited punishment that could come from a conviction on these charges. On the other hand, many people will believe that the driver will suffer so much for the rest of her life with the guilt of what she did that any further punishment is cruel.

I did hear that the authorities were confident that neither alcohol nor cell-phones were involved in this, n'est-ce pas? If it is simply a case that the driver was distracted...perhaps by the kids (?)...then I'm glad that I won't be the judge presiding over this case.

[4X4]

http://www.calgaryherald.com/technol...897/story.html

Ok. I don't want to prematurely convict anyone, but some of this testimony is pretty damning. The one woman that was right behind her said she gradually veered into the truck. You know what kind of people gradually veer? The kind of people that are looking at their goddamn cellphones. Just sayin.

Ps, Maybe update the thread title to go straight to post 70?

[Regulator75]

^^^ Or napping.

[worth]

The other thing that comes to mind, as I'm sure you've all heard, is that you "go" where you're looking.

They tell you that if your car is out of control, you're suppose to look at where you want to go, ie: the road ahead, not where you're going to crash, like the ditch.

I remember reading an articles about telephone poles on the side of highways and how for some reason, there was a oddly high number of crashes into them, while the crashes into open fields between the telephone poles were less prominent. It was because people get fixated on these things on the side of the road and inadvertently crash into them because they're staring at them when they lose control to avoid them, when in reality they're actually steering themselves right into them.

I wouldn't be surprised to hear that she was looking directly at the truck parked on the side of the road for a few hundred meters before and drove right into it.

[amorak]

She admited to using an ipod on the bus to the officers who responded to the crash. As well, the "kids" (16 and 18) who testified yesterday said they saw her with earphones in immediately prior to the crash.

I believe she (the driver) was institutionalized for several weeks following the crash due to suicidal thoughts.

Judging by the path this case is taking, the worst I can see is Dangerous / Careless driving causing death... It will likely have some light jail time and some other stipulations, but I think this woman has already been sentenced to a lifetime of regret and depression (of her own doing, of course)

[silentsim]

Pierre Lamarche, a former Calgary Transit driver who now is retired and drives school buses part time, said he spotted the same bus being driven erratically and dangerously the previous day and reported the incident to Third Academy.

He had taken down the information from the side of the bus, got the licence plate number, the bus number and a description of the driver.

He was so upset, he testified, that he phoned the school again the next morning about the time the crash was occurring.

When he saw pictures of the bus on the television news at lunchtime, he realized it was the very same one he saw the previous day over a five-kliometre stretch starting on Harvest Hills Drive.

Pretty damning evidence.

[4X4]

A school bus driver fiddling with an ipod while on Crowchild Trail during morning rush hour. Say it aint so.

[Jimmy Stang]

Originally Posted by worth

I remember reading an articles about telephone poles on the side of highways and how for some reason, there was a oddly high number of crashes into them, while the crashes into open fields between the telephone poles were less prominent. It was because people get fixated on these things on the side of the road and inadvertently crash into them because they're staring at them when they lose control to avoid them, when in reality they're actually steering themselves right into them.

Not saying that what you heard is wrong, but I would attribute the fact that we hear more of car vs. pole accidents because they usually result in injury and/or death. A car in a field probably won't even be reported to the insurance company unless the damage to the car outweighs the driver's embarrassment.

[worth]

Very true. I'm trying to find the article, but having no luck.

[Russic]

Originally Posted by amorak

She admited to using an ipod on the bus to the officers who responded to the crash. As well, the "kids" (16 and 18) who testified yesterday said they saw her with earphones in immediately prior to the crash.

I believe she (the driver) was institutionalized for several weeks following the crash due to suicidal thoughts.

Judging by the path this case is taking, the worst I can see is Dangerous / Careless driving causing death... It will likely have some light jail time and some other stipulations, but I think this woman has already been sentenced to a lifetime of regret and depression (of her own doing, of course)

Agreed. As horrible as this all is, there's no amount of jail time that will match the suffering she's brought on herself. You have to think that whatever lesson she needed to learn out of all this has already come.

[valo403]

Originally Posted by worth

Very true. I'm trying to find the article, but having no luck.

I've heard the same thing, not sure if it was in an article but I've definitely heard it from a reputable source and backed up by reasoning based on our tendency to travel towards that which we are visually fixated on.

[Byrns]

Originally Posted by Russic

Agreed. As horrible as this all is, there's no amount of jail time that will match the suffering she's brought on herself. You have to think that whatever lesson she needed to learn out of all this has already come.

She didn't get any jail time.

[amorak]

I am duuuumb

[Russic]

Originally Posted by Byrns

She didn't get any jail time.

My comment was more geared towards people that would wish for a lengthy jail term.