Nine injured in fiery crash involving TTC bus, stolen vehicle in North York
Posted November 18, 2024 5:06 am.
Last Updated November 18, 2024 6:23 pm.
Nine people were injured, including two with life-threatening injuries, after a TTC bus and the driver of a stolen vehicle collided in North York overnight.
Toronto Police Service (TPS) officers were called to the Bathurst Street and Wilson Avenue area just before 2 a.m. on Monday for reports of a multi-vehicle collision.
TPS Duty Inspector Brian Maslowski said two vehicles were travelling westbound “at a very high rate of speed” on Wilson Avenue when a black SUV entered the intersection.
The driver of a stolen white BMW attempted to speed through the intersection and crashed into the TTC bus.
Nine people were injured in total. Four were in the stolen vehicle at the time of the crash, and two of them suffered life-threatening injuries, including the driver. The other two were treated for minor injuries.
The Toronto Police Association (TPA) said that two of the four in the stolen BMW were out on bail, including one connected to a violent robbery.
“On behalf of our 8,000 members, we send our thoughts to the drivers of the TTC bus and passengers who were injured this morning,” the TPA wrote in a statement. “We continue to call on the Federal Government to make meaningful changes to bail legislation to keep our communities safe.”
TPA President Clayton Campbell tells CityNews that the white BMW was linked to a carjacking in Peel Region. It’s unclear when that crime occurred.
Four extricated from vehicle following crash: police
Five people on the bus, including the driver, suffered non-life-threatening injuries. The police said a female passenger was ejected from the bus due to the impact of the crash but was not seriously injured.
“The white BMW struck the TTC [bus] with such force, the TTC vehicle was spun around and faced northbound,” added Insp. Maslowski.
The duty inspector said officers and first responders arrived at the scene and found the white BMW on fire. They quickly put it out and extricated four people from the vehicle.
“It was like a bomb [went off],” said one nearby business owner. “It was scary.
“I felt sorry for the passengers of the bus because they were [just] normal people returning from work, and out of the blue, someone hit the bus,” the business owner added.
The intersection was closed for several hours during the investigation but reopened at around 12:30 p.m. on Monday. There is no word on possible charges.
