Why The Westboro Bus Crash Inquiry Now?
An inquest into the horrific 2019 Westboro bus crash has been long overdue.
It is unusual, however. Five years is a considerable time to wait for an inquest. Maybe new information has been found. Maybe a long lobby finally worked.
Many questions were left unanswered after the crash that killed three people. Twenty-three people were hurt, some with life-changing, horrible injuries.
So what are some of those questions?
Among them are; were OC Transpo bus driver reviews made before the crash? Were there concerns about those reviews? Did examiners take those reviews to the proper people? If there were problems, how far up the chain of command did those reports go? Did they reach the transit commission plus Transpo and city top executives? What did they do about those reports, if there were any? When did they know about them?
Why was the city so quick to diminish the investigating services offered by the experts at the federal Transportation Safety Board and keep the probe within the Ottawa Police Service? Who made that decision? Why would you not want one of the world’s finest accident investigators leading the team examining the crash?
How safe was the upper storey of the city’s double-decker buses? Did OC Transpo know of any safety concerns?
What measures did the city take to mitigate the threat posed by the overhangs at Westboro Station and other stations along the Transitway before and after the crash? The Westboro overhang cut through the double-decker bus causing many injuries in the tragic mishap. Did the city or OC Transpo know of the danger posed by the overhangs prior to the Westboro crash? If so, what did it do about them? What did it do post-accident?
The driver of the bus in the accident was found not guilty of all charges in a 2021 trial.
Ken Gray
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– The Bulldog – News Feed Enter 
Wait five years for a bus crash inquiry and how many people whose actions might be investigated will still be around? Isn’t this is a bit like the MOU for Tewin owners paying salaries of Ottawa City Planners? Only one of four signatories on the MOU left on staff when it comes to light? Perhaps even an LRT procurement audit will take place after everyone involved is retired.
I suspect that the settlement of all legal claims, and perhaps the statutory stale-dating of any future claims (not sure how long that is) may be a contributing factor to the long delay in getting this important, independent investigation underway.
I observed that there was snow and ice creating a ramp up to the sidewalk due to improper clearing ( winter is like that throughout Otrawa).
I observerved the absence of any protective bollards at the station that would have prevented the bus from advancing into the overhang.
I observed that at the time of the accident the sun was in the eyes of the driver obscurring visibility.
I felt strongly that the buses in the transit way moved too fast, took risks driving too close to other buses.
In my opinion the accident was waiting to happen.