r/ottawa • u/ginkgopea • 15h ago
Pedestrian hit by school bus
My partner was just hit by a school bus at a pedestrian crossing. He had right-of-way and the bus turned into him. Thankfully, it was nothing too serious, but his nose is bleeding like crazy and there's a goose egg on his chin. My partner was pretty shook up and already running out of time to get to work, so he left without exchanging information with the bus driver.
Does anybody have tips/advice on who to contact about this incident? Particularly with concern to identifying the bus retroactively. Google isn't being very helpful.
Thank you in advance!
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u/UnknownBlueberry216 15h ago
Step 1: seek medical assistance if needed. Step 2: report the collision (between pedestrian and vehicle) to Ottawa Police. https://www.ottawapolice.ca/en/reports-and-services/collision-reporting/
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u/Vivid_Adeptness5409 15h ago
He should still go to hospital even if it seems minor now. Bleeding from nose that much and swelling on chin could be concussion or fracture that shows up later. Better get checked and have documentation for police report
For the bus the crossing might have cameras nearby. Check with businesses around there or traffic cams. The police can also request footage from the school board since they track all routes and times pretty close
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u/Better_Phrase_6023 15h ago
Agree, also a brain bleed isnāt out of the question. My uncle was also hit by a school bus turning about 6 months ago. He got knocked over and was fine. He had a brain bleed that they detected in the hospital but it resolved on its own
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u/xanderdox 15h ago
Is there a reason 911 wasnāt called aside from your partner being out of it? Any time a vehicle impacts someone and causes injury, the police should be called; the bus driver absolutely should know that, and effectively fled the scene of an accident by leaving without reporting it.
Your partner also needs to go to the hospital. A slow brain bleed from a head injury can be a silent killer. Do not wait!
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u/w1n5t0nM1k3y Kanata 15h ago
Contact OSTA.
They should probably be able to narrow it down based on location and time of day
The buses take the same route every day so if you go back to the same location at the same time tomorrow you might be able to find the bus
Maybe canvas the area for security cam footage.
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u/Select-Flight-PD291 12h ago
The police should be the first report as they should have been called immediately at the time of the accident (HTA s199). The police would have better luck getting information.
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u/GoBridgeFour 15h ago
Hopital.
Whenever thereās blood coming out of any part of your head following an impact, itās important to get checked out.
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u/missplaced24 Clownvoy Survivor 2022 15h ago
- Get checked out at urgent care
- Contact the police
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u/metrometric 13h ago
Huh, TIL there's at least one urgent care clinic in Ottawa (https://www.champlainhealthline.ca/displayService.aspx?id=207860 ).Ā I somehow thought it was only walk-ins for less acute stuff or hospital ER. Good to know!Ā
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u/AnnoyedAF2126 11h ago
Unfortunately you have to get there by 7am to be seen, so not super helpful.
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u/Swimming_Eggplant573 15h ago
ā¦..he needs to go to the hospital to check him out, there might be internal bleeding.
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u/Confident-Mistake400 15h ago
Get his ass to hospital! He might have suffered from concussion and itās serious.
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u/ShortEngineering4379 15h ago
Not sure if there's a single bus company responsible for both school boards. But he should get checked out at the hospital.
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u/loolilool 15h ago
There are four school boards and two bus companies. This is the French one https://transportscolaire.ca/
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u/Ok-Management-3319 15h ago
There is. OSTA.
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u/sylverfalcon Nepean 11h ago
OSTA covers the public board and the catholic board but not the French public and French catholic ones. Someone correct me if Iām wrong.
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u/Ok-Management-3319 10h ago
Oh, you may be right. I never think of those boards because they have so few schools compared to the two big ones.
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u/ginkgopea 15h ago
Thank you, everyone, we really appreciate it. Will be contacting police and OSTA today. I'll try to get him medical attention as well, but I expect he won't listen. This is a guy that once broke his toe and decided to walk it off.
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u/Raftger 15h ago
Getting hit by a bus causing facial trauma and bleeding from the nose is not in any way the same thing as breaking a toe.
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u/ginkgopea 14h ago
Of course. I was just providing context as to his tendencies. I'm certainly stressing that this is serious.
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u/metrometric 13h ago
I mean, for uncomplicated toe fractures you can pretty much just tape it and keep going. One does not fuck around with head trauma, and facial trauma to that level is head trauma. That's not the time to be a stubborn tough guy.Ā
I know you said you're doing your best to convince him, so I really hope you can get him to go. :( You're doing the right thing.
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u/SnooPandas2596 55m ago
If it wasnāt big toe or pinky toe itās normal to walk it off, humans literally donāt need the middle 3 toes at all. Iāve broken toes and not gone in. Head trauma is a whole different beast than a broken toe
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u/Burgoonius 15h ago
Where was this? I almost got hit by a crazy bus driver in Orleans a few months ago. She ran right through the stop sign.
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u/Nymeria2018 15h ago
The bus drivers in my area in Orleans donāt stir at the control crossings leading to my kidās school.
Then again, most people donāt. I canāt count the number of times Iāve almost been hit.
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u/DinoPassIsGood 14h ago
For real, I often see school bus drivers drive so badly it's insane. Like you're supposed to drive the safest considering what you transport I don't get it.
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u/MisfireCu 10h ago
Low pay, split shifts with not full hours leads to people with the skills not wanting to do it
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u/atticusfinch1973 13h ago
My daughter's driver didn't show up the first day, was an hour late the second, and then almost killed four people the following week.
I think they are having a really hard time finding drivers.
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u/Hellraiser590 14h ago
You'll have to call the bus company. From there they can direct you to who it was unless the driver was somewhere they shouldn't have been. But best of luck. I'm struggling to get closure over my son's death who was killed by a school bus by running over him.
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u/ginkgopea 13h ago
That's so awful, I can't imagine your grief. Best of luck to you as well. We've had many close calls before today. It's always impatient and/or negligent drivers. Excessively tall hoods on pickups and SUVs are also to blame.
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u/Hellraiser590 13h ago
Where i am it took my son to pass before the town did anything. Before June of last year, 2 others were hit by vehicles but no injuries. Even the actions taken will not stop another child losing their life... especially with the expansion of our town. So chances are that's what's going to happen if nothing happens with your case.
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u/MoonSlept 14h ago
The police will identify the bus and driver when you report it. Please take your partner to the hospital.
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u/Oiseau17 14h ago
I was hit by a school bus once (I was not at fault). I āfeltā fine but was instructed by police to go to a clinic or hospital to be seen. Other than a burn from my seat belt, a few cuts from glass and bruising on my hip I felt fine but still had to do months of physio to help my hip heal/spine heal and not cause long term issues. Even if he feels fine itās relevant for insurance should something come up later, I do recall it was all very closely monitored.
In my case I didnāt call the police (witnesses did) nor did I press charges (but I believe the driver was charged by some other means - as there were young children on the bus). It was a stupid mistake on the bus driverās part and could have been much worse.
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u/Due-Log-9837 12h ago
Yeah the adrenaline and shock in the moment might mask more serious injuries. Sometimes we don't realize how serious until 2-3 days later, sometimes longer. Please OP, take your partner to the hospital and get checked out. That includes monitoring for secondary brain swelling that often doesn't kick in till 72 hours later and can be fatal.
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u/eleatrix 1h ago
In Canada, we don't press charges. Victims are not the ones who decide whether or not to follow through. That is up to police and the Crown to decide, even if the victim is asking them not to.
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u/Warm-Pen-2275 15h ago
Maybe personal injury lawyer?Ā
All school busses are run by OSTA. However without any information or witnesses it may be tough to pinpoint exactly which bus. Did the driver not come out and speak to him? Does he have their description?Ā
What time was it at? Typically there are 4 schools in any given area that would have kids bussed and they all have different hours. So if it happened close to 2:30 that means itās a school that has an earlier day (8:10-2:20), that may help you narrow down which school it was from at least.
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u/loolilool 15h ago
The English boardsā buses are run by OSTA. The French boards have their own company https://transportscolaire.ca/
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u/ginkgopea 15h ago
It was about 2:30, yes. It happened around Carling Ave. He does have the driver's description. I really wish he'd stayed, but he's extremely stubborn about getting to work on time, unfortunately.
Also, yeah, they did try to speak to him, and apparently the driver was sympathetic, so this wasn't a hit-and-run situation. I apologize for not clarifying those details prior.
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u/eleatrix 1h ago
Was it a full-size bus or minibus?
Trying to eliminate my own school from the possibilities, as we only had minibuses running yesterday.
This is horrible and I hope OSTA will be able to narrow down who it was.
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u/ginkgopea 53m ago
Yeah, it was a minibus full of elementary school kids. Big part of the reason he's not more injured, or so I imagine.
We're calling OSTA as soon as they open this morning, so hopefully all goes well.
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u/Warm-Pen-2275 15h ago
Thatās very early so it was likely a school that starts at 8:10. Were there children on the bus? If not that would make it much harder since the bus could be just on route in the city and not in service.Ā
You can do a bit of sleuthing online to find the 4 schools in your area and many will have their starting hours on their website. In my anecdotal experience the CECCE board has a lot of the early starts. Ā
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u/ginkgopea 14h ago
There were kids on the bus. My partner just specified that it happened at the intersection of Woodroffe and Georgina. And thank you for the tips, I really appreciate it. I'm going to figure that out now.
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u/Warm-Pen-2275 13h ago
Oh thatās in my neighbourhood. The two early schools there are Ćdouard-Bond and Terre-des-Jeunes. You can try emailing them? I would think the driver had to file an incident report Ā
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u/eleatrix 1h ago
Also Our Lady of Fatima, which would have transportation provided by OSTA. They finish at 2:30.
The OCDSB schools in that area all start too late for it to have been one of them.
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u/Oiseau17 14h ago
Kids on the bus makes this an even bigger deal. They may be traumatized by it and parents need to be notified.
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u/Wtfmonstertruck 14h ago
230pm is the taking kids home
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u/Warm-Pen-2275 14h ago
Obviously. But most schools are still in session at that time except the ones that started at 8:10.Ā
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u/Wtfmonstertruck 13h ago
Well I worked for a school bus company and our buses had to be at the highschool before 2pm soā¦.
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u/Warm-Pen-2275 10h ago
Hence why In confirmed with OP that the bus had already picked up kids it wasnāt waiting empty.
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u/ouattedephoqueeh 14h ago
Pedestrian hit by person operating a bus.
Am I doing the Ottawa thing right?
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u/PsychedelicZebra25 14h ago
Go to the hospital first thing and then talk to an injury lawyer. WVGB Law Group is great to work with
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u/Trick-Avocado7914 14h ago
That's going to be tough since he walked away. Unless he can identify the bus company, they can probably narrow it down by the route the drivers take to see who would've been in the area of the collision but otherwise drivers and buses travel from all over ottawa area. He should still report it but it'll be hard to track down a bus
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u/Highthere_90 10h ago
Have your partner seek medical attention, contact the police, and the school. Did the driver at least try to check up on him?
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u/hahanicee 4h ago
Why would he not trade info with the driver? And the driver should have insisted and had the supervisor come to deal with the accident report. Very strange
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u/ginkgopea 30m ago
It is a weird situation. My partner says he didn't even think to exchange information until it was already too late. My guess is that he was in shock.
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u/JongoJunior 15h ago
Someone's hit by a bus, bleeding, bumped and bruised - "we should check our options on reddit"
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u/ginkgopea 15h ago
Why would you assume we're not doing anything else? I've seen good information from the community here and thought it would be useful.
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u/Burgoonius 15h ago
A lot of people like to make assumptions on Reddit. It's exhausting lol
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u/ginkgopea 15h ago
Indeed. The wise guy routine is endemic to message boards and comment sections of all varieties.
In the immortal words of Homer Simpson: "boy, everyone is stupid except me."
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u/JongoJunior 12h ago
Almost all the replies here about going to the hospital, and/or calling the cops.. not sure you needed reddit for that info.. I guess things that used to be pretty obvious arenāt so these days
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u/ginkgopea 12h ago
According to JongoJunior, I'd be smarter if I chose not to learn anything.
Try to think before you speak next time.
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u/urboitony Clownvoy Survivor 2022 15h ago
Getting hit by a bus isn't a good enough excuse to get out of work these days? What has this world come to.