Calgary’s mayor says he, too, wants a full review following a fiery fatal crash last week involving two Calgary Transit buses. The eight-vehicle chain-reaction collision happened in the intersection at Saddletowne Circle and 80 Avenue N.E. on Oct. 15. Three people were killed and 16 were injured. During a city council meeting on Tuesday, Ward 5 Coun. Raj Dhaliwal suggested an independent review of both the street where the crash happened and also compressed natural gas-powered buses — one of which was involved in the tragedy. Police said the collision was caused by a northbound bus that hit a vehicle, then continued on through the intersection, hitting a second vehicle before hitting another Calgary Transit bus, igniting the natural gas tanks on it. Only the second bus involved was powered by compressed natural gas (CNG); the other was diesel. “I fully support Coun. Dhaliwal and his call for an independent review to first address questions that might exist around our bus fleet but also the road design and engineering in Saddletowne Circle,” Calgary Mayor Jeremy Farkas said on Wednesday at an unrelated event. Mike Mahar, the head of Calgary’s transit union, said while the driver of the CNG bus was able to escape, the driver of the other bus had to be extricated by emergency crews. In a statement sent to CTV News, Mahar said the driver of the CNG bus is now recovering at home, but the driver of the diesel bus remains in hospital. “His family has requested privacy right now, and I must honour that request,” he said. “We will continue to assist him and his family as they deal with this very challenging situation.” Mahar says the union has provided members with access to a group counselling and debriefing session that was attended by over 60 people.
