Motorist listed in critical condition after collision with city bus

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A man was reported to be in critical condition after the car he was driving came into collision with a Winnipeg Transit bus early Friday morning.

The bus was going back to the garage at end of a shift, and was northbound on Osborne Street when the crash occurred, said Aleem Chaudhary, president of Amalgamated Transit Union Local 1505.

“It happened right in front of the garage,” the union president said, adding he spoke to the operator of the bus Friday.

The collision occurred about 1:30 a.m., south of the Winnipeg Transit garage between Carlaw and Brandon avenues, a Winnipeg Police Service spokesman said.

Chaudhary said the bus driver told him that right near the garage, he saw a southbound car approaching, swerving into and out of the oncoming lane.

“As he was getting closer, the car drifted right in front of the bus and he didn’t slow down,” Chaudhary said. “The (bus) driver did his best and tried to stop. He blew the horn and put the brakes on. It was quick — it happened within seconds.”

A spokeswoman for the City of Winnipeg would say only that when an operator is involved in an accident, that person is trained to assess the situation and to call the Transit control centre immediately.

“The control centre will then call the appropriate authorities and first-responders,” she said.

The front end of the car — a black, four-door Chevrolet —was crushed and the man driving it was taken to hospital in critical condition. Police had no update on his condition late Friday afternoon.

The bus driver was taken to hospital and treated for minor injuries — a banged-up knee and a sore thumb —- before being released, the union boss said. “He’s doing well, but he’s shaken up.”

The bus operator has been driving for Winnipeg Transit for a few years, Chaudhary said, and will have psychological counselling made available to him.

“We’re looking at having a better system of counselling,” he said. “There are more and more psychological incidents and injuries that take place.”

Drivers are aware of the enormity of their responsibility when they’re sitting behind the wheel of a city bus, Chaudhary said.

“The driver of the other vehicle is in serious condition, and that takes a toll on you, whether or not it’s your fault.”

— with files from Bill Redekop

carol.sanders@freepress.mb.ca