Woman dead after falling out back door of Edmonton transit bus: police
Posted January 1, 2024 10:59 am.
Last Updated January 1, 2024 11:16 am.
The passenger who fell out the back of a transit bus in Edmonton died of her injuries, police said Monday morning.
The 63-year-old woman had been in critical condition since Friday afternoon.
Police say the bus was making a left turn in the city’s west end when the woman stood up from her seat and moved towards the rear exit.
They say she reached for and held onto a safety bar, but as the bus turned, she lost her balance and fell backwards through the door and onto the street.
“Paramedics treated and transported the woman to hospital with serious injuries. Sadly, her condition rapidly declined in hospital,” police said in a statement Sunday.
By Monday, police provided an update to say the woman had passed away.
Edmonton police are investigating but say no Traffic Safety Act charges are pending.
The Edmonton Transit Service said in a statement that it is supporting police in their investigation, and that it has also reported the incident to the province.
City spokeswoman Jennifer Badry said the exit doors of buses lock when the vehicles are in motion, but the woman fell against the glass in the door, the glass shattered and she fell through it.
“It looks like she lost her balance and fell into the glass and that’s what gave way,” Badry said.
The ETS statement said the service will conduct an engineering assessment “including a root cause analysis out of an abundance of caution as rider safety remains our utmost priority.”
The statement said the nine-metre-long community bus was travelling at low speed at the time and that it stopped immediately.
It said the service “extends its sincerest empathetic condolences” to the family and friends of the rider.
