Tourist dead with many injured after tour bus crash
OPP officers work at the site of a crash involving a tour bus on Highway 401 West, near Prescott, Ont. on Monday, June 4, 2018.
Provincial police say a 54-year-old Chinese man has died after being injured in a tour bus crash in eastern Ontario on Monday.
Officers say a bus carrying 37 people — including the driver, a tour guide and a group of Chinese tourists — drove off Highway 401 between Brockville and Prescott, and hit a rock formation by the side of the road.
Police say four bus passengers remain in hospital in serious, life-threatening condition.
A truck driver who passed the scene of the crash said he could see passengers standing outside the bus who appeared to have facial injuries.
A manager at the Massachusetts-based Union Tour Express company said Monday he was aware one of their buses was involved in the collision but could not provide any further information about the incident.
Police say they are still investigating the collision.
Police and firefighters respond to a serious collision involving a passenger bus west of Prescott on Highway 401 on Monday, June 4, 2018.(MARSHALL HEALEY/Special to Postmedia)
PRESCOTT — Provincial police say a 54-year-old Chinese man has died after being injured in a tour bus crash in eastern Ontario on Monday.
Officers say a bus carrying 37 people — the Chinese driver, a tour guide and 35 Chinese tourists — drove off Highway 401 between Brockville and Prescott and hit a rock cut at the side of the road.
Police say 24 people were injured in the crash, four of whom remain in hospital in serious, life-threatening condition.
A truck driver who passed by shortly after the crash said he could see passengers standing outside the bus holding bloody noses and some appeared to have facial injuries.
The bus was sitting in the ditch, up against some rocks, he said. A dashcam photo of the scene that he shared shows at least three ambulances and first responders, with about half a dozen people standing at the side of the road.
A damaged bus involved in a serious collision west of Prescott on Highway 401 on Monday, June 4, 2018. (MARSHALL HEALEY/Special to Postmedia)
“It definitely looked very surreal and chaotic,” said the man who would only give his name as Robert. “OPP officers were assisting those who could get off the bus and to waiting ambulances. You could definitely see heavy damage to the front of the bus, including the passenger side of the front window.”
Police say they are still investigating the collision.
“It’s going to take some time to investigate,” Const. Suzanne Runciman said Tuesday. “There’s lots of witnesses to talk to and…there’s mechanical things they need to took into so it’s going to take some time before we can tell you the cause.”
The Ornge air ambulance service said it was responding to the scene, which is about 95 kilometres south of Ottawa. Spokesman Joshua McNamara said at least one person was taken to Ottawa via air ambulance.
Inspectors at the scene of the bus crash on the 401 west of Prescott. Photo by Wayne Cuddington/ Postmedia
The Brockville General Hospital said it had received five patients who all required critical care and said one other patient was being sent to a hospital in Kingston, Ont., by air ambulance.
“The people that we have received are all Mandarin speaking,” said spokesman Abby McIntyre. “What I’ve been advised is that we have received five of the most critical.”
McIntyre said others injured in the crash are believed to be “walking wounded” who’ve been taken to other hospitals.
A bus sits on the side of highway 401 after crashing into a rock cut in Prescott, Ont., on Monday, June 4, 2018. THE CANADIAN PRESS/Lars Hagberg
“Our teams are working hard with the folks that we’ve received and there’s all hands on deck for the moment,” she said. The hospital said it had a Mandarin translator on site to interpret for the patients as non could speak English.
The Ottawa Hospital said on Twitter that it was working with regional hospitals and Ornge to treat the seriously injured who required transport to Ottawa.
The leaders of Ontario’s three main political parties, who are days away from a provincial election, all tweeted that their thoughts were with those affected by the crash.
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