Colonial Coach Lines Bus Accident
Colonial Coach Lines bus accident | |
---|---|
Details | |
Date | July 31, 1953 |
Location | Morrisburg, Ontario |
Statistics | |
Vehicles | 2 (Bus, Truck) |
Passengers | 37 |
Deaths | 20 |
Injured | unknown |
The Colonial Coach Lines bus accident occurred on July 31, 1953 after a passenger bus carrying 37 occupants travelling from Toronto, Ontario to Montreal, Quebec, collided with a truck that was stalled on the side of Highway 2, near Morrisburg, Ontario, killing 20 passengers on board.[1]
Accident
[edit]On July 31, 1953 at approximately 04:00am, a Colonial Coach Bus Line passenger bus on an overnight express, en route from Toronto, Ontario to Montreal, Quebec, struck a stalled truck with its lights off, on Highway 2 close to Morrisburg, Ontario.[2] The bus careened off the highway down a 25 foot embankment ending up in the Williamsburg canal system in about 6 meters of water.[1][3] Some passengers would escape by kicking out windows and smashing doors,[2] In the end 20 passengers were dead and 17, including the driver, would escape.[1] The driver of the parked truck would also survive.[1]
Legacy
[edit]The Colonial Coach Lines bus accident remains the deadliest traffic accident in Ontario history.[2]
See also
[edit]List of deadliest Canadian traffic accidents
List of traffic collisions (before 2000)
List of disasters in Canada by death toll
References
[edit]- ^ a b c d "20 KILLED IN BUS CANAL DIVE". Mail. 1953-08-01. Retrieved 2023-09-26.
- ^ a b c Government of Canada, Public Safety Canada (2018-12-21). "Canadian Disaster Database". cdd.publicsafety.gc.ca. Retrieved 2023-09-26.
- ^ "Motor Vehicle Disasters in Canada". www.thecanadianencyclopedia.ca. Retrieved 2023-09-27.