News conference re: Three dead in GTA over five months after being struck by school buses while safety recommendations ignored

TORONTO, Nov. 20, 2024 /CNW/ - The Greater Toronto Area has witnessed a disturbing spike in pedestrian fatalities linked to alleged negligent school bus driving while recommendations for improved safety practices gather dust. 

On June 19, 2024, a six-year-old boy died after being struck by a school bus in Vaughan, Ontario, (Article of June 19, 2024 Collision). On October 9, 2024, Rachel Turner, a 22-year-old woman, was hit by a school bus while in a crosswalk in Toronto and died four days later after her organs were donated to five recipients (Article of October 9, 2024 Collision). On November 5, 2024, an 84-year-old woman was struck by a school bus in Richmond Hill and passed away (Article of November 5, 2024).

"The frequency of these trips, along with increased traffic congestion in urban areas, inadequate training of drivers and the failure to implement safety measures on buses, is a recipe for death and serious injury," says Mike Smitiuch, a lawyer representing the Turner family.

The family held a press conference Wednesday at their home in The Beach area of Toronto to bring their concerns to light. Speakers included Rachel's parents, Susan and Leon Turner, her boyfriend, Matthew Davis and Michael Smitiuch, a lawyer supporting the Turner family.

The federal Council of Ministers Responsible for Transportation and Highway Safety issued task force reports in 2019 and 2020 on school bus safety. Both reports recommended a suite of safety improvements that remain largely unimplemented.

"The combination of insufficient technological upgrades and the lack of rigorous driver training means that, each year, 792 million trips carry a real possibility of risk," Smitiuch said. "The risks of injuries and deaths involving school buses increase without these recommended improvements and we're seeing such an increase with the three most recent fatalities in the GTA."

SOURCE Smitiuch Injury Law Professional Corporation

For Further information, contact: Michael Smitiuch, [email protected], 416-621-1551, https://www.sil.lawyer; Brad Honywill, Scriber Media Relations, [email protected], 905-334-9259