Mass transit has had a great impact on the way that individuals around the world get from one place to another. Depending on where one resides, vehicles such as busses and trains may be used to transport large groups of people. While a majority of the time these vehicles get from one place to another without incident, there are times when they may be involved in accidents. Sadly a mass transit accident occurred earlier this week that resulted in the death of six individuals.
Though the tragic accident did not occur in Kansas City, many are likely aware of the collision that occurred between a commuter train and a double-decker bus in Canada. The incident happened at a railroad crossing
According to eyewitnesses the guard rail was lowered at the time of the crash. Despite the lowered arm, the driver of the bus nonetheless continued through the crossing, striking the train. Some of the witnesses said that the bus was travelling too fast to stop in time.
In addition to the six deaths another 34 people were injured in the collision. The severity of those injuries is not known though no one on the commuter train was said to have suffered serious injuries.
At this point it is not clear what caused the bus driver to guide the bus into the crossing arm and passing train. A woman who boarded the bus shortly before the incident indicated that the 45-year-old driver seemed fine when she got on. As is the case in any vehicle accident there are a variety of factors that could have contributed to the accident occurring. These range from distracted driving to medical episodes. The black box recorder will likely assist in determining what happened.
Source: ABC News, “6 Killed as Canada Bus Strikes Passenger Train,” Associated Press, Sept. 18, 2013