City bus and CP train collide in Sudbury

Adapted from this editorial

This near catastrophic crash involving a Sudbury transit bus and a Canadian Pacific Rail train near Beatty Street and McNeil Boulevard on Thursday morning should serve as a warning to many drivers across Canada.

A passenger on the bus said the driver did all he could to avoid the collision, but the 40,000-pound vehicle slid along the ice into the train. Fortunately, the driver received only minor injuries, but as anyone who has spent time on Canada's highways, roads and streets knows, it is a scenario that is repeated, in lesser forms, at traffic lights and stop signs throughout the country in the winter months.

Many of us like to complain about potholes, icy roads and snowstorms, but too many of us are not apt to take these very factors into consideration when we're driving.

Greater Sudbury Police say the bus driver will not be charged, and indeed it appears he may have avoided a tragedy with his efforts.

But those efforts are not always replicated in vehicles -- small and large -- throughout the city.

For in too many cases, there, but for the grace of God, go many of us.


ONTARIO -- A passenger on the Greater Sudbury bus that collided with a train Thursday morning said the driver did everything he could to prevent the accident.

Jason Bushie, who drove a Sudbury Transit bus for six months last year, said the driver hit a patch of black ice as he was approaching the railway crossing and couldn't stop in time.

The driver suffered minor head injuries after the collision with the Canadian Pacific Rail train, which occurred about 10:10 a. m. in the area of Beatty Street and McNeil Boulevard.

The transit driver was taken to St. Joseph's Health Centre by ambulance and is reported to be fine, Greater Sudbury Police said.

Bushie, one of four passengers on the bus at the time, was also taken to hospital where he was examined and released after bumping his head on a pole in the bus as it slid into the train.

Bushie said the driver was driving below the posted speed limit as he neared the rail crossing on Beatty Street.

Bushie saw the flashing lights at the intersection, then saw the train approaching. The driver was able to stop the vehicle just before the tracks, but it was clipped by the train's engine, which is wider than the cars it was pulling.

He said the driver appeared to try to put the bus in reverse, but couldn't do it in time.

Bushie said the bus moved and was hit a second time by one of the cars carrying a load of slurry. He called the sensation of the collision "a rock 'n' roll ride."

Bushie helped the driver out of his seat, which was covered with shattered glass. The driver apparently suffered a hip injury.

Greater Sudbury Police arrived in about a minute, he said.

A Sudbury Transit supervisor took the other three passengers to the downtown Sudbury Transit terminal to continue on their journey, said Bushie. Then the supervisor returned to take Bushie to St. Joseph's Health Centre to be examined.

Greater Sudbury Police Const. Bert Lapalme said the bus driver was travelling at a low speed on Beatty Street toward Elm Street when warning lights along the tracks were activated.

"(The driver) applied the brakes and the bus was just moving forward. He just couldn't stop the bus in time," said Lapalme.

"He ended up stopping the bus just at the track, but it was far enough that the train caught the edge ... at the front driver's side."

Charges will not be laid, said Lapalme.

Bushie said most transit riders don't understand the job of a bus driver, and said drivers don't get the respect they deserve.

A transit bus weighs about 40,000 pounds empty "and it doesn't just stop on a dime," he said.

"He did everything in his power to stop that bus," said Bushie. "There was nothing he could have done short of throwing out an anchor."
[source]

Gatineau head-on crash kills 53 year old Montreal woman

QUEBEC -- Two vehicles that collided head-on last night on Highway 50 in Gatineau has left one man dead and five others injured.

Police say a car carrying four people left its lane and struck another car traveling in the opposite direction.

A 53 year old woman who was a passenger in the car was killed in the crash. She was not wearing a seatbelt and was partially ejected. The driver and three other passengers were taken to hospital with serious injuries.

The driver of the car that was struck was also injured.

Police are continuing with their investigation into this collision and have ruled out alcohol as a factor.

Gatineau is east of Ottawa, Ontario.

Highway 117 crash in Quebec claims two lives

LCN PHOTO

QUEBEC - A tragic collision has taken the lives of a man and woman on Route 117 in Lac-des-Ecores early this morning.

A red, Pontiac Sunfire was traveling northbound when the driver lost control and crossed into the southbound lanes, colliding head-on with a pickup truck.

Both occupants were pronounced dead at the scene.

The driver of the pickup truck was not injured.

Police don't know why the driver lost control. The roads were snow-covered at the time.

No names have been released.

Whitehorne street racing case set over AGAIN

CORY HURLEY
The Western Star

NEWFOUNDLAND - The young Corner Brook man charged with dangerous driving causing bodily harm following an incident on the north shore of the Bay of Islands in May had his court case set over again.

Matthew Whitehorne, 20, was originally charged with street racing causing bodily harm — a charge dropped during his last appearance in provincial court in Corner Brook Nov. 18, when he pleaded guilty to the dangerous driving charge. An operation of a vehicle while impaired by drug charge, stemming from an incident in Corner Brook March 29, was also dropped during the court appearance.

The Honda Civic he was driving slammed into a wooded area in the middle of Irishtown May 14, after it reportedly flipped several times near a line of houses.

Whitehorne suffered a hand injury, while a passenger in the car with him sustained serious leg and head injuries which required extended medical treatment.

The case has been continually set over in the subsequent months until the guilty plea was entered in November. A pre-sentence report was ordered for facts and sentencing to take place Wednesday.

Defence attorney Peter Chaffey said the adult probation officer was unable to complete the report over the past two months.

Whitehorne had not made an attempt to meet with the probation officer until Tuesday when he visited the office, according to the lawyer. Chaffey told Judge Catherine Allen-Westby his client said there was one call made to him for an appointment and he didn’t get the message.

Normally four weeks are allotted for a pre-sentence report, but due to scheduling conflicts the earliest available time to reschedule facts and sentencing was Feb. 24 at 1:30 p.m.

Allen-Westby told Whitehorne he should have plenty of time to assist with the report and suggested he make an appointment to meet with the probation officer as soon as possible.

Dangerous driving causing bodily harm is an indictable offence and a person is liable to an imprisonment for a term not exceeding 10 years.

Meanwhile, in mid-September, Joanne Lovell, the young McIvers woman originally charged in the same incident, pleaded guilty to two lesser traffic offences and was fined.

The criminal charge of dangerous driving while street racing causing bodily harm was dropped against her too.

Lovell, who was identified as the driver of a second vehicle, was fined $600 for the speeding offence and $180 for imprudent driving, plus victim surcharges.

CBC Coverage
CORNER BROOK 29 OCT 08 — The court case of a young Corner Brook man charged with illegal street racing and impaired driving in separate incidents has been set over.

Matthew Whitehorne, 20, was charged with dangerous operation of a motor vehicle while street racing, causing bodily harm in relation to an incident in Irishtown May 14.

He’s alleged to have been the driver of a Honda Civic which slammed into a wooded area in the middle of the town after reportedly flipping several times near a line of houses. He suffered a hand injury, while a passenger in the car with him sustained serious leg and head injuries which required extended medical treatment.

At the time, there was an outstanding charge of impaired driving by drug against Whitehorne in relation to an incident in Corner Brook March 29.

Whitehorne’s matters were called in provincial court in Corner Brook Tuesday but his lawyer Peter Chaffey requested more disclosure from the Crown and the case was set over until Nov. 18.
ORIGINAL POST 30 MAY 08
Young man and woman face street-racing charges

A young man and woman have been charged following a car accident that police have linked to illegal street racing on the north shore of the Bay of Islands.

RCMP in Corner Brook filed charges against Matthew Whitehorne, 20, of Corner Brook and Joanne Lovell, 22, of McIvers, stemming from an incident on May 14 at about 9:45 p.m.

The driver of a Honda Civic slammed into a wooded area in the middle of the small community of Irishtown after reportedly flipping several times in front of a line of houses.

Contrary to earlier information provided by police, the driver suffered a hand injury and the passenger sustained serious leg and head injuries that required extended medical treatment.

“The resulting investigation conducted by the Corner Brook RCMP, with help from Traffic Services West, culminated in a charge under the Criminal Code of Canada of Section 249.4(3) — dangerous operation of a motor vehicle while street racing, causing bodily harm,” Sgt. Mark Hancock told The Western Star Thursday.

Whitehorne was the driver of the vehicle that crashed, while Lovell was driving a second vehicle, according to the RCMP. They will appear in provincial court on July 22 to enter pleas.

“This type of activity is not to be tolerated and we will actively pursue the objective of safe communities, safe roads by investigating these matters and charges will be laid, if applicable, for racing,” Hancock said. “It’s a very dangerous activity for the public.”

While reports from the community had the vehicles travelling upwards to or beyond 200 kilometres per hour, Sgt. Hancock would make no further comment.

“We always get complaints of speeding and traffic safety is one of our divisional priorities — that and family violence — so we are always looking for speeders,” he said. “Do we get that many complaints of racing? Not that many.”
[source]

Young driver dies of his injuries a week after serious crash in BC

BRITISH COLUMBIA -- A driver involved in a serious crash on January 10th, 2008 on the Trans Canada Highway has died.

The unnamed Central Saanich, BC man died in hospital from injuries he sustained after his vehicle was struck just before 4 p.m. that day. Heading northbound near Town and Country mall, the driver crossed a small meridian into the path of southbound traffic where his vehicle was struck by a southbound truck.

A third southbound vehicle then struck the truck. The 26-year-old driver was taken to Victoria General Hospital but died shortly after noon on Friday. The 41-year-old driver of the truck was treated for whiplash and released the day of the crash.

Saanich police say there was no indication that alcohol was a factor in the collision.

No names have been released.

ORIGINAL MEDIA RELEASE
On Saturday, January 10th, at 3:57pm, all four lanes of Highway 1 were closed following a three vehicle collision near the Town and Country Centre.

Initial reports indicate that a single northbound vehicle crossed over into southbound lanes of the highway. The northbound vehicle then collided with a southbound truck. That truck was then hit by a second southbound truck.

Two drivers went to hospital.

The driver of the northbound truck, a 26 year old Central Saanich man, is still listed in critical condition in the ICU at Victoria General Hospital.

The second driver, a 41 year old Victoria man, went to the hospital with whiplash type injuries. He was later released from hospital.

Saanich Police Crash Analysts were called out to assist the Traffic Safety Unit members and Patrol officers with their investigation. The investigation is still ongoing.

“We want to publically thank the witnesses that came to the aid of the drivers involved in the crash”, said Sgt John Price, public information officer for the Saanich Police. “ It is so crucial during a time of high stress to have caring people helping those in need – they did an outstanding job during a very difficult time”.

Quebec Crown seeks rare dangerous offender status for repeat drunk driver

Sidhartha Banerjee, THE CANADIAN PRESS

MONTREAL - It's a legal provision generally reserved for the very worst criminals.

But a Quebec Crown prosecutor is trying to get a recidivist drunk driver, who mowed down a wheelchair-bound mother last year on her birthday, declared a dangerous offender.

Roger Walsh pleaded guilty in December to drunk driving causing the death of 47-year-old Anee Khudaverdian.

Crown prosecutor Joey Dubois wants to make an example of the St-Lazare, Que, man by having him declared a dangerous offender and locked up indefinitely - a tactic that has yet to succeed in Canadian courts in drunk driving cases.

But the attempt is being heralded by the family of the victim and anti-drunk driving advocates, especially given Quebec's typically lax stance on the issue.

"Quebec's been funny on impaired driving - certainly the judges - they've been better lately but they certainly haven't been very aggressive in long sentences for chronic offenders," said Andrew Murie, CEO of Mothers Against Drunk Driving Canada.

"I was pleasantly surprised when I heard about the application in Quebec because it raises the bar."

Khudaverdian's younger sister Clara said her family fully supports the Crown's move.

"It didn't happen in Alberta and it didn't happen in Ontario ... but they've never tried it in Quebec and I think that we should set precedent somewhere," said Khudaverdian.

"The bottom line is that he killed my sister - an innocent woman with a seven-year-old child.

"He sentenced my niece to a life without her mom."

Dubois made his intentions known recently when he asked that the court send Walsh, 56, to undergo a psychiatric evaluation - the first step in determining dangerous offender status. Defence lawyer Jacques Vinet said he'll argue against the move in February.

Dangerous offender status would mean indeterminate detention for Walsh.

Another option is long-term offender status, reserved for repeat offenders of violent crimes where there is evidence they can be controlled. It comes with a 10-year court-ordered supervision following the original prison sentence.

Legal experts say it will be difficult for the Crown to obtain the dangerous designation.

"The way the dangerous offender provisions work - it's generally reserved for the worst of the worst," said Sanjeev Anand, a law professor at the University of Alberta.

"Most individuals who drive drunk are not intending to hurt others."

Last year, an Alberta judge declared Raymond Charles Yellowknee a long-term offender in sentencing him to more than 20 years in prison for killing a woman and her three children.

Yellowknee, 35, who has 16 years remaining on his sentence with time served, will be supervised for a decade after the completion of his sentence and is banned from ever driving again.

Yellowknee pleaded guilty to 18 charges in connection with the January 2006 collision, including four counts of drunk driving causing the deaths of Misty Chalifoux, 28, and her three daughters - Michelle, 13, Trista, 9, and Larissa, 6.

"Though we'd like to have seen it in that case, you can't argue a 20-year sentence," Murie said, adding that Yellowknee's sentence is the longest ever handed down.

In the other documented case, an Ontario court sentenced Tim Allen in 2003 for repeat drunk driving offences and was able to add the long-term offender tag.

Murie said MADD supports dangerous or long-term offender status for chronic drunk drivers.

"It sends a message out there that in these extreme circumstances that we won't hesitate to apply for these types of applications and we think they fit," Murie said.

Walsh has a lengthy criminal record and had been convicted of impaired driving twice before he got behind the wheel last October.

He pleaded guilty in December to hit and run causing death, impaired driving causing death and violating a court order from a previous conviction which banned Walsh from consuming alcohol.

The polio-stricken Khudaverdian, confined to a wheelchair since childhood, lived for her daughter and was an animal lover who volunteered at local shelters.

Clara Khudaverdian said people like Walsh don't deserve an unlimited number of chances.

"I think our judicial system needs a major overhaul," she said.

UPDATE ON Three pedestrians injured in Dartmouth - Little girl recovering in hospital

A family member picks up a backpack belonging to one of three people after they were struck by a van Friday while crossing Victoria Road at Primrose Street in Dartmouth.
(TIM KROCHAK / Staff, Halifax Chronicle Herald)

A woman who was run down along with her daughter and another boy in Dartmouth on Friday says the little girl is recovering.

Sabrina Chace said Saturday morning her daughter Zoe Upshaw, four, is in stable condition at the IWK Health Centre. The girl was listed in critical condition after being run down in a crosswalk on Victoria Road in Dartmouth. Zoe had surgery Friday to repair a fractured pelvis, fractured femur and other internal injuries.

“She’s my little trooper,” Ms. Chace said. “She’ll pull through.”

The woman and the two children were all struck by a minivan turning off of Primrose Street while they were walking home from an early learning opportunities pre-school program at Harbour View Elementary School just before 2:30 p.m.

The four-year-old boy, Kane Morgan, was not seriously injured.

Ms. Chace, who had a broken toe and needed three stitches in the back of her head after being knocked down, said the collision could have been worse.

“Normally I have my seven-month old with me,” she said. “I’m lucky I left her home with her father.”

She said she waited until the crossing signal appeared and made eye contact with the van’s driver before setting off from the curb.

“Once I realized he wasn’t going to stop I tried to get the kids out of the way and it was too late,” she said. “I thought he saw me. I swear to God I thought he saw me.”

Ms. Chace said Zoe was ahead of her and Kane behind her when the van hit.

“Kane was under the passenger side and my daughter, I think she got run over by the front wheels,” she said, her voice beginning to break. “She was on the driver’s side.”

Ms. Chace said she didn’t realize right away that she was also injured.

“My main concern was the two children,” she said. “I didn’t care about myself.”

Kane’s mother Terrylee Graves, said it’s hard to believe her son wasn’t more badly injured. He was trapped under the van for a time.

But she said the boy is very shaken up by the incident.

“Over and over again, all he keeps telling me is ‘I’m under the car. I’m under the car. The car’s on top of me,’” she said.

Ms. Graves said she plans to sue the driver’s insurance company and the city.

“You have children from an elementary school crossing a four lane highway with no crossing guard,” she said. “How come you don’t have something up here on the highway where trucks and cars and everything are going through?”

Regional Councillor Jim Smith could not immediately be reached Saturday.

Staff Sgt. Don Fox of Halifax Regional Police said the incident is still under investigation.

From reports from the Chronicle Herald

NOVA SCOTIA -- Two young children are in hospital, one in critical condition, after being struck by a car while walking across a north-end Dartmouth street this afternoon.

The woman who was supervising the kids was also hit by the vehicle, which police said was turning left on Victoria Road from Primrose Street when the accident happened just before 2:30 p.m.

* * * 16 JAN 09
“The woman and the children were walking across Victoria towards Primrose,” Const. Jeff Carr, spokesman for Halifax Regional Police, said late Friday afternoon. “If you know the intersection, it’s three-way.”

Emergency Health Services spokesman Paul Maynard said paramedics transported a girl suffering from life threatening internal injuries to the IWK Health Centre, while a boy is also being treated at the Halifax children’s hospital but is in fair condition with non-life threatening injuries.

“It sounds like he’s really lucky,” Mr. Maynard said. “He was actually under the vehicle when we got there.”

The woman was taken to Dartmouth General Hospital and is also listed in fair condition, he said.

Mr. Maynard said three ambulances and one EHS supervisory unit responded to the call and had help from Halifax Regional Fire and Emergency Service.

Const. Carr said police believe the woman is in her 20s and is the mother of the little boy. The two children are both apparently between three and five years old.

Police shut down traffic in the area Friday afternoon while emergency personnel worked on scene, where a man in a green minivan had pulled over just passed a crosswalk. Though there was no major damage to the van, a dusty handprint was visible on its hood.

Const. Carr couldn’t say whether or not any charges will be laid. Mr. Maynard said the vehicle was travelling about 50 kilometres an hour when it hit the three victims.
* * *
Who in their right mind makes a left turn in snowy conditions at 50 km/hr???