NEWS RELEASE
NIAGARA REGIONAL POLICE
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On Jan. 24, 2024 at 7:50 a.m., 3 District (Welland/Pelham) uniform officers from the Niagara Regional Police Service (NRPS) responded to a report of a collision in Welland involving a school bus and car.
3 District officers, Niagara EMS paramedics, and Welland Fire Service personnel attended the scene at the intersection Canal Bank Street and Ontario Road. Emergency services personnel attended to a 47-year-old female driver of blue Ford F 150 pick up. The damage to the truck required that the Welland Fire Service assist in the removal of the female from the vehicle. She was transported to a local hospital with what is believed to be non life-threatening injuries.
The initial investigation determined that the other vehicle involved in the collision was a yellow school bus and it failed to remain at the scene. Shortly after the collision the NRPS Communications Unit began to receive calls from the public to report a school bus travelling northbound on Prince Charles Drive in Welland on three wheels. 3 District officers were able to locate the bus in the area of Prince Charles Drive near Thorold Road. The school bus had four children on it. The driver and children on the bus were medically assessed and there were no significant injuries.
Both vehicles suffered extensive damage and where towed from the scenes.
The driver of the school bus, a 77-year-old man from Fort Erie, has been charged with the following provincial offences:
- Careless driving – Highway Traffic Act
- Fail to remain at the scene of a collision – Highway Traffic Act
The roadway where the bus and Ford had collided was closed during the investigation and later reopened at approximately 9:45 a.m.
The investigation remains ongoing by 3 District uniform officers. Anyone who may have information about this incident can call 905-688-4111, option 3, ext. 1023300 referencing incident 24-8104.
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