WATCH: Marianne Dimain reports on the fatal GO bus rollover on Wednesday night and on Metrolinx’s next steps.
TORONTO – Metrolinx officials are reassuring the public its buses and trains are safe after a passenger died in a GO Transit bus rollover on Highway 407 north of Toronto Wednesday evening.
“I want to assure the hundreds of thousands of passengers that use GO Transit everyday that we will continue to place safety as our highest priority,” said GO Transit President Greg Percy at a press conference Thursday.
Ontario Provincial Police say 56-year-old Radika Nankissoor died after the eastbound bus hit a guard rail near Weston Road and rolled into a ditch just after 10 p.m. Wednesday.
Police said Nankissoor was ejected and trapped under the bus when it rolled. She was pronounced dead at the scene.
GO Transit says the bus departed Hamilton at 8:30 p.m. and was due to arrive at York University by 10:10 p.m.
Six people, including the 66-year-old driver from Hamilton, were on board the bus.
Two other females, aged 22 from Richmond Hill and 23 from Thornhill, and the male driver were taken to hospital with minor injuries. Two other men on the bus, aged 18 from Vaughan and 23 from Toronto, were not injured.
No other vehicles were involved in the rollover and the cause of the crash is under investigation.
“This bus has a diagnostic computer on it and we will interrogate that computer as part of the investigation process,” said Percy.
GO Transit says the driver has more than 15 years experience and the bus itself had been in service for eight years. Percy said the driver is recovering in hospital but couldn’t give any other details due to the under police investigation.
He called the accident a “tragic event for everybody.”
“GO Transit for both bus and rail has a great safety record and we’ll continue to ensure it stays that way,” Percy explained. “We have not had a death on a GO bus and GO train in our history.”
The eastbound lanes of Highway 407 at Weston Road were reopened to traffic around 5 a.m. as the bus was removed from the scene of the crash.
“Our hearts go out to families involved and the injured. We are cooperating fully with OPP,” GO Transit tweeted.
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