5 firefighters hurt in back-to-back crashes in CanadaThe firefighters were injured in a crash, then involved in a separate crash the following day
The Toronto Star
WINDSOR, Ontario — Napanee firefighters were passengers on two buses that crashed on two separate days in southern Ontario this past weekend — the second of which killed a 49-year-old woman and injured all 12 others on board.
On Saturday night, five firefighters were returning from the FireFit Championships, a fitness competition in Windsor, when their bus was involved in a crash on Highway 401 near London, Ont.
Four of the firefighters were released from hospital, and family members and Napanee fire chief Ian Shetler travelled to London with a chartered bus to drive them home early Sunday.
The fifth firefighter remained in hospital overnight with his wife so doctors could monitor a neck injury he suffered.
Not long out of London, the chartered bus crashed on Highway 401 near Woodstock around 6 a.m. Sunday. Darlene Goodfellow, 49, of Napanee was pronounced dead at the scene. Her husband David was one of the volunteer firefighters involved in the first accident on Saturday.
The 12 others do not have life-threatening injuries, provincial police said.
Napanee Mayor Gordon Schermerhorn said the town of 16,000, between Belleville and Kingston, is in shock after hearing the news.
"The town is behind the families. We want them to know that," he told the Star.
Schermerhorn said bereavement counsellors are working with Goodfellow's three children.
"Everyone knows the firefighters and the volunteer firefighters, and so we certainly are trying our best," he said. "We're certainly doing everything that we possibly can do."
Napanee is a tightly knit community, according to community emergency manager Rebecca Murphy. "It's a tragic series of events that happened that's greatly shaken our little town here."
The firefighter who missed the second bus because he had to remain in hospital overnight for observation has since been released, Schermerhorn said.
Provincial police said the 12 people injured in the second crash were taken to area hospitals by ground and air ambulances.
"I'm not sure how we're going to get them home. Maybe a train. I don't know," Schermerhorn said.
Part of Highway 401 was closed while police investigated.
The charter bus was operated by McCoy Bus Service, based in Kingston.
"At this time, our thoughts and prayers are with the passengers on the bus and with the family of the person who was lost," company spokesman Shawn Geary said in a prepared statement.
Geary said the company is cooperating with police and will not make further comment until the investigation is complete.
Provincial police are continuing their investigation into the crash, but said they still don't know why the bus went off the road. Local media reports said it was raining heavily at the time.
With files from Canadian Press
|
No comments:
Post a Comment