OC Transpo bus driver pleads guilty to careless driving causing death

A Ontario Court of Justice judge will decide on Tuesday whether an OC Transpo bus driver will go to jail or face a probationary sentence after he killed a pedestrian in 2023. Photo by Tony Caldwell /PostmediaArticle content

An Ontario Court of Justice judge will decide Tuesday whether an OC Transpo driver will go to jail or face a probationary sentence after his bus struck and killed a pedestrian in 2023.

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In an agreed statement of facts, Abdullahi Ahmed Ali was driving an R1 replacement bus on July 20, 2023. This was not his usual route and he was assigned to the replacement bus because the city’s Confederation LRT Line was shut down that day.

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He was turning left from Tremblay Road onto St. Laurent Boulevard to pick up passengers at the nearby LRT station when he hit 26-year-old Carolane Vermette, who was crossing the intersection at the time.

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Vermette died from her injuries shortly after.

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The Crown said the woman had the green light and was halfway across the crosswalk before she was hit.

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Victim impact statements from Vermette’s family and friends, as well as pedestrians and passengers, detailed the trauma and pain the incident caused. One witness said they will only take the LRT if they have to use public transit. Another said the trauma from the incident was so severe that they had to seek out a therapist.

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Police investigate at the scene of a collision involving an OC Transpo bus and a pedestrian at the corner of St. Laurent Boulevard and Tremblay Road in July 2023. Carolane Vermette, 26, died shortly after being hit by the bus. Photo by Tony Caldwell /PostmediaArticle content

The Crown asked the judge to consider a six-month jail sentence for Ali, along with a two-year driver’s licence suspension.

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Ali’s lawyer said the sentence was too harsh and argued that the incident was caused by a momentary lapse of attention and not fully checking a “significant” blind spot from the articulated bus. Ali, she said, has a clean driving record with OC Transpo and the incident was out of character for him.

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Letters from his wife and children, as well as colleagues, described him as a kind and family oriented man who is a stickler for the rules of the road.

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His lawyer, who said the driver is on leave, also argued that there is no case law that justifies a months-long jail sentence and pointed to similar court cases where sentences ranged from a fine to days in jail.

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Instead, the defence lawyer proposed a two-year probationary sentence with a one-year driver’s licence suspension with exceptions. Ali would be allowed to drive for medical emergencies, to drive his kids to and from school, to drive to the mosque every weekend, and to drive for approved work purposes.

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He would also be required to report to a probation officer throughout his sentence, report any address changes to the court and carry out 100 hours of community service.

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But the Crown disagreed, saying it is everyone’s responsibility to check their blind spots before turning, especially if they are a professional driver. A six-month term is appropriate, the Crown argued, especially since a large amount of people were victimized by the incident.