3 U.S. visitors struck by Vancouver tour bus were from same family
Bus driver in incident that killed 1 had perfect record in 7 years with company, manager says
Three tourists struck by a tour bus on Vancouver's waterfront this weekend were all family members visiting from the U.S., police say.
One of them, a 49-year-old man, was killed in the crash just outside Canada Place on Sunday morning, when the bus collided with a parked SUV and hit pedestrians standing nearby.
A 15-year-old girl suffered minor injuries in the crash and an elderly man remains in hospital with serious injuries, Vancouver police said in a news release Monday. Police said the three family members were from Massachusetts.
The cause of the crash remains under investigation. Police have said the bus was travelling slowly before the collision.
The bus was operated by the Vancouver Trolley Company (VTC). On Monday, the company's general manager, Stuart Coventry, told reporters that everyone at VTC was shocked by the tragedy.
'It's shaken us'
"Honestly, it's shaken us in a way we could never really have been prepared for. Our thoughts and prayers are with the people who have been deeply and directly affected and their families. We can only imagine their pain and their suffering," Coventry said.
The driver of the bus has been with the company for seven years and has a perfect record with the National Safety Code Office, according to Coventry. Police have said that charges against the driver are possible.
The employee will not be back on the road while the police investigation is underway, Coventry said.
"Quite clearly, he's devastated and quite traumatized," Coventry said.
He added that VTC drivers do daily safety checks of their vehicles, and the buses undergo inspections by independent, licensed inspectors at least once every six months.