Families of victims speak at inquest into deadly 2019 Westboro bus crash

A jury heard from families of the victims of the 2019 Westboro bus crash on Wednesday, the first day of a 21-day inquiry. CTV's Katie Griffin reports.

A coroner’s inquest into the deaths of three passengers who were killed in the 2019 Westboro OC Transpo bus crash began Wednesday, with families of the victims speaking about the magnitude of their loss.

Judy Booth, 57, Bruce Thomlinson, 56, and Anja Van Beek, 65, died from their injuries after a double-decker bus struck an overhang at the Westboro Transitway Station on Jan. 11, 2019. Nearly two dozen others sustained injuries.

The 21-day inquest will examine the cause and circumstances of the crash and provide recommendations to officials on how to prevent further deaths. Approximately 15 witnesses are expected to testify.

“This is going to be hard but it’s going to make a difference in the future,” presiding officer Dr. Louise McNaughton-Filion told the jury.

The jury may make recommendations on preventing similar deaths and to improve public safety in the future.

It will have to answer several questions including classifying the manner of death for each victim as: natural, accident, suicide, homicide or undetermined.

The Thomlinson and Booth families have been granted standing at the inquest, along with the City of Ottawa and the Amalgamated Transit Union Local 279, which represents OC Transpo bus drivers. It means they’ll be able to ask witnesses questions. The bus driver was not listed as someone with standing at the inquest and it’s unclear if she will testify.

Inquest counsel Peter Napier told the jury that while the inquest wasn’t mandated by law, it is considered a “discretionary inquest” in the public interest.

The inquest will be presented with evidence that includes information on bus driver training, safety oversight and driver assignments to different types of buses and routes.

There will also be evidence about transitway design, the role of human factors and the condition of infrastructure at Westboro station.

Family statements from the Booth and Thomlinson families were read out.

Karen Benvie, the daughter of Judy Booth, said that she’ll “always remember how her effervescent personality filled a room.”

“Her smile, her warmth and her wisdom made an impression on everyone she met. She had a way of making you feel important, and she carried herself with intelligence and grace,” Benvie said.

She said Booth had an “infectious laugh, sharp wit and generosity that knew no bounds” and that her death has left them with “a void in our lives that cannot be filled.”

“She was taken from us far too soon, and we are left with unanswered questions and an unbearable grief,” she said.

Elaine Thomlinson, widow of Bruce Thomlinson, said he “exemplified the definition of kindness” and described the loss of him as a “never-ending scar on your soul.”

“Whether it was shovelling snow for neighbours, helping a stranded boat on the lake by offering to give them a tow, Bruce was always willing to help others,” she said.

She said the husband and father of two sons loved the outdoors, “strawberry rhubarb pie, beer and music, including his favourite band, Rush.”

Thomlinson said she struggles with post-traumatic stress disorder and that following his unexpected death, “the after-effects are shock, fear, devastation, pain, leaving a never-ending scar in your soul.”

Unlike a trial, the jury’s conclusions are not binding and does not draw legal responsibility or conclusions. The bus driver, Aissatou Diallo, was acquitted of all charges after a trial in 2021.

Diallo had only been driving for OC Transpo for about six months at the time of the crash. She hasn’t operated a bus since that day.

The jury heard Diallo had been involved in a collision the month prior to the fatal crash when the articulated bus she was operating collided with a parked bus at St. Laurent station. The cause of that crash was operator error and failing to adjust speed to road conditions.

Diallo was placed on a three-week leave and had to complete “skills building training” before resuming work that included reviewing driving procedures, mirror use and steering techniques.

The city and its insurers accepted civil responsibility for the crash in 2020.

“The City recognizes that inquests play an important role in our legal system,” said interim city solicitor Stuart Huxley in a memo to the mayor and members of council on Monday.

OC Transpo has made changes to the way it trains bus drivers.

The Westboro Transitway Station has since been removed as part of the Stage 2 west extension of the O-Train Line 1.

The public can view the proceedings online.