First funeral held for Ottawa bus crash victim, 4 remain in hospital

ABOVE: A memorial service was held for 21-year-old Ottawa bus crash victim Connor Boyd, with cars lining the streets surrounding the church. Among the attendees was Dorian Seidle, the former Consul-General to Hong Kong

TORONTO – The funeral for 21-year-old Connor Boyd, who was killed in last week’s deadly collision between an Ottawa city bus and a Via Rail train, was held Monday morning in Ottawa.

The service was held at Cedarview Alliance Church, where a chartered bus joined cars lining the street as plazas and the parking lot were full before the 11 a.m. start time.

Mourners wearing Salvation Army uniforms, as well as one man in an OC Transpo uniform gathered in the church. It was an OC Transpo bus involved in the fatal crash last week.

The celebration featured some of the Carleton University English student’s work, including a poem about Newfoundland Boyd wrote at age 12 called Home Away from Home.

A second selection is called Nostalgia, with haunting imagery of an empty school written at the end of his educational career. Friends and loved ones heard two songs: The Scientist and Solsbury Hill.

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Boyd was one of six fatalities caused by the collision, which happened east of Fallowfield train station near Woodroffe Ave., in the Ottawa suburb of Barrhaven last Wednesday morning. More than 30 people were originally rushed to hospital from the scene.

Read more: What we know about the victims in the Ottawa bus crash

One patient, who had been in critical condition at Ottawa Hospital’s Civic campus until Friday evening, had been upgraded to “fair” condition over the weekend. That designation means the patient is conscious, with “vital signs stable and within or close to normal limits,” according to the hospital.

Three patients remain in Queensway-Carleton Hospital after undergoing surgery for broken bones. A spokesperson said all three were in satisfactory condition Monday morning, but would remain in hospital for at least a few more days.

According to witnesses aboard the bus, driver Dave Woodard did not slow down as he approached the train.

“From my perception, the speed did not get reduced,” said Gregory Mech, who was sitting on the second level of the double-decker bus.

Read more: Passengers aboard fatal Ottawa bus crash left to wonder why driver didn’t stop

The Transportation and Safety Board of Canada said Friday afternoon that the train, track and signals involved were functioning correctly, according to information obtained from the train’s event recorder.

The TSB had one “download” of data from the bus, and was working to access that information on Friday afternoon, according to TSB lead investigator Rob Johnston. A detailed mechanical evaluation will be performed, as well as a review of bus operations, driver training, and any human factors that may have affected the driver’s performance.

“No new information will be available for some time, although our work is ongoing,” said Johnston on Friday. “During that time, if any safety deficiencies are identified, we will notify the appropriate authorities and make information available to the public.”

Read more: Signals worked, investigating Ottawa bus data and human factors, says TSB

Watch: Latest update from TSB officials on the Ottawa bus crash investigation (Sept. 20)

With files from Rebecca Lindell