LANCASTER – One woman is fighting for her life in hospital after a double-decker bus collided with a transport truck in the westbound lanes of Highway 401 Tuesday.
Emergency crews responded to the area, east of the Lancaster weigh scales, where the Megabus had ended up in a stand of trees after it appeared the bus had collided with the back of the transport trailer.
The crash happened around 2:30 p.m.
SD&G O.P.P. said there were 45 people on the bus – 19 of them were treated for minor injuries at area hospitals.
Four people were airlifted to area hospitals including one victim – an adult woman, 24, who O.P.P. had earlier misidentified as a male teenager. In an update Tuesday night, the O.P.P. said that woman has serious, life-threatening injuries. The other three airlifted victims are listed with serious injuries.
South Glengarry said 19 victims were taken to Glengarry Memorial Hospital in Alexandria while another six were taken to the Cornwall Community Hospital and one was taken to hospital by air ambulance.
The passengers that weren’t injured were taken to the Williamstown arena where alternate transportation was arranged.
The Township of South Glengarry had declared a state of emergency where Red Cross and Social Services members registered and cared for passengers at the Char-Lan Recreation Center.
Megabus sent two buses to the recreation center to pick up passengers and take them to Kingston or Montreal.
The company said in a statement that its fully cooperating with investigators.
Highway 401 westbound was closed for most of the afternoon before a single lane was opened around 8 p.m. The section of highway completely reopened around 1 a.m. Wednesday.
An O.P.P. investigation is ongoing.
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