School bus driver charged in east-end collision that killed woman, 22, in October

A school bus driver is facing charges after a 22-year-old woman was struck and killed in the city’s east end last fall.

Officers were called to the intersection of Kingston Road and Kingswood Road in the Upper Beaches neighbourhood around 4 p.m. on Oct. 9, 2024, for reports of a collision involving a pedestrian.

According to Toronto police, the school bus driver was travelling eastbound on Kingston Road while the woman was walking west, crossing the street on the north side.

Officers say the driver allegedly turned left and hit the woman while she was in the crosswalk. She was transported to a hospital in life-threatening condition and died a few days later.

On Thursday, 60-year-old Anthony Phillips of Toronto turned himself in. He’s been charged with dangerous operation causing death and careless driving causing death.

He’s scheduled to appear in court on March 5, 2025.

The woman’s death was the third school bus fatality in the GTA in a five-month period in 2024.

Victim’s family speaks out: “A bright beacon of light”

A lawyer representing the victim’s family issued a statement following news of the arrest, identifying the woman as 22-year-old Rachel Turner.

“Charges won’t bring Rachel back, but they show that her death was preventable and that she wasn’t to blame,” Rachel’s father, Leon Turner, said. “It is important that someone is held accountable so that, hopefully, action can be taken to prevent similar tragedies in the future.”

Lawyer Mike Smitiuch said that the 22-year-old woman had just graduated from Wilfrid Laurier University, majoring in Business Administration, and was preparing to pursue her MBA.

The victim’s family filed a Statement of Claim in the Ontario Superior Court of Justice in Toronto, seeking $7.5 million in damages from the school bus driver and the company that employed him, FirstCanada, alleging the accused was “distracted and travelling too fast.”

“My daughter was a natural leader and a bright beacon of light who stood for all that is good in the world,” said her mother, Susan Turner. “In an instant, we’ve lost her. The impact has devastated our family and continues to be felt across the community. There has to be accountability for that.”

A spokesperson with the bus company would not comment on the family’s lawsuit as the incident is currently still under investigation and before the courts.

“We extend our deepest sympathies to those affected by this tragic incident,” they said in a statement to CityNews. “We are also aware of a recently filed Statement of Claim and we are in the process of reviewing the filing.”

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