Twelve people were taken to hospital with injuries after a crash in Toronto involving a Mississauga Transit bus and another vehicle on Tuesday, officials say.
Toronto police said the collision happened around 11 a.m. near Highway 27 and Dixon Road.
“This collision involved a Mississauga Transit bus — a MiWay bus — and another motor vehicle that were both travelling on Highway 27,” Toronto police traffic services Sgt. Murray Campbell told reporters at the scene.
“It appears from initial investigation that the bus was travelling southbound on Highway 27 and just as it crossed south of Dixon Road, it crossed into oncoming lanes…
“At that time, it struck a northbound motor vehicle, continued travelling and ended up … in the ditch on the east side of Highway 27.”
Campbell said there were a total of 14 people on the bus, with 11, including the driver, being taken to hospital.
The 10 passengers transported had minor injuries while the bus driver had serious injuries, Campbell said.
Police initially said that there were believed to be around 30 people on the bus at the time of the crash.
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The driver of the other vehicle involved, who was the only occupant, was also taken to hospital and Campbell said their injuries were minor.
Paramedics, however, told Global News the bus driver had minor injuries when transported and the driver of the other vehicle was rushed to a trauma centre with serious injuries.
Paramedics said multiple other people were assessed at the scene but weren’t taken to hospital.
It’s not yet clear why the bus reportedly went into oncoming lanes.
“Our collision reconstruction team is here conducting the investigation, mapping the area and collecting evidence in an attempt to find out how this occurred and what might have caused it,” Campbell said.
Campbell said investigators are currently focusing on the movements of the bus.
He noted most buses have cameras and speed recording equipment, which will be used as officers try to piece together what exactly happened.
He appealed to anyone who may have been travelling in the area and has dashcam footage or saw the bus before the crash to come forward.
Campbell said “all things considered,” more people could have been seriously hurt in the collision.
“I don’t want this to happen at any time, but … a collision of this magnitude involving this many people, we’re very glad that only one person was seriously injured.”