Bus, SUV crash sends seven to hospital

Cornwall paramedics and firefighters remove a woman from an SUV after a crash Wednesday, July 20, 2016 at the corner of First and York Streets in Cornwall, Ont. Seven people were taken to hospital to be checked over. (Newswatch Group/Bill Kingston)

CORNWALL – A crash between a Cornwall Transit community bus and a sport utility vehicle sent seven people to the Cornwall Community Hospital Wednesday.

Two paramedic rapid response vehicles, two ambulances, three fire trucks and Cornwall police were called to the intersection of First Street West and York Street around 12:20 p.m.

The force of the crash somehow flipped the SUV before it landed on its wheels. Large clumps of grass were wedged in the driver’s side of the truck.

The Cornwall Transit bus had extensive front-end damage.

Both vehicles ended up on the northeast corner of the intersection.

By somewhat of a miracle, there was no serious injuries as the people were taken to hospital by ambulance to be checked over.

Five of the six people on the bus were treated as well as two people in the SUV.

Firefighters had to use the Jaws of Life to free the woman in the passenger seat of the Hyundai Tuscon.

Four Cornwall firefighters use the Jaws of Life to pry the doors off an Hyundai Tuscon to free a woman trapped in the passenger seat. The SUV was involved in a collision with a Cornwall Transit bus Wednesday, July 20, 2016 at the intersection of First and York Streets. (Newswatch Group/Bill Kingston)
Four Cornwall firefighters use the Jaws of Life to pry the doors off an Hyundai Tuscon to free a woman trapped in the passenger seat. The SUV was involved in a collision with a Cornwall Transit bus Wednesday, July 20, 2016 at the intersection of First and York Streets. (Newswatch Group/Bill Kingston)

Cornwall police Sgt. Dave MacLean credits the side curtain airbags in the Tucson for saving its two occupants from serious injury.

“It would have been a different story…(they) would have taken the brunt of it (the crash),” MacLean told Cornwall Newswatch.

Cornwall Transit Manager Len Tapp told CNW the community bus had six passengers on board and was part of a fixed route to nursing and long term care homes and medical facilities.

A Handi-Transit bus – which the city has 10 units – will fill the void for the community bus in the meantime.

An occupant of the Cornwall Transit bus is placed on a stretcher Wednesday, July 20, 2016 after a crash between the bus and an SUV. Seven people were assessed at Cornwall Community Hospital. (Newswatch Group/Bill Kingston)
An occupant of the Cornwall Transit bus is placed on a stretcher Wednesday, July 20, 2016 after a crash between the bus and an SUV. Seven people were assessed at Cornwall Community Hospital. (Newswatch Group/Bill Kingston)

Neighbours say the intersection has a number of problems, including stop signs that are above the driver’s line-of-sight and parking on the west side of York Street, south of First, which makes it difficult for First Street drivers (First Street is one-way going east) to get through the intersection.

“It says no parking. A lot of times they park right up to the corner and it makes that corner bad, you can’t see around them,” said First Street resident Thorald Ezard.

“It’s been reported to the city, I don’t know how many times. They just don’t want to do nothing about it,” Ezard said.

Ezard explained that First Street drivers will try to bolt from the intersection in order to catch the green light at Augustus Street. “They’ll spin their tires and try to get that green light on Augustus. It’s a real speedway in here.”

He would like to see a four-way stop at York and First Streets. “That would clear this corner up.”

Another woman also criticized bylaw enforcement for being selective with parking enforcement along York Street.

Large clumps of dirt are wedged in the back door of an SUV Wednesday, July, 20, 2016 after the truck flipped during a collision at the intersection of First and York Streets in Cornwall, Ont. Seven people -- two in the SUV and five in a Cornwall Transit bus -- were taken to hospital as a precaution. (Newswatch Group/Bill Kingston)
Large clumps of dirt are wedged in the back door of an SUV Wednesday, July, 20, 2016 after the truck flipped during a collision at the intersection of First and York Streets in Cornwall, Ont. Seven people — two in the SUV and five in a Cornwall Transit bus — were taken to hospital as a precaution. (Newswatch Group/Bill Kingston)