THUNDER BAY – Investigators have determined a 91-year-old man found without vital signs last week had collided with the side of a city bus shortly before his death.
The man, who has been identified as Jack Young, was a passenger on the Thunder Bay Transit bus at the stop on Grenville Avenue near Black Bay Road and got off around 7 p.m. last Friday night. Shortly after getting off the bus he collapsed and fell into the side of it as it pulled away.
Passersby found him a short time later and attempted to perform life-saving measures while waiting for emergency responders to arrive.
Thunder Bay Police Const. Gordon Snyder said the transit operator will not be facing any criminal charges.
“It’s clear from our investigation none of the passengers nor the bus driver had any idea that this had occurred,” he said.
“Where Mr. Young fell against the bus was significantly back from the front of the bus…From that vantage point the bus driver did not have a clear view of Mr. Young as he pulled away from the curb.”
Despite nobody seemingly aware at the time the incident had taken place, police were able to determine what had happened.
“We looked at the injuries sustained by Mr. Young and matched them with areas of the bus where he might have come into contact, in addition to numerous statements from people who didn’t witness the accident but witnessed the actions of Mr. Young leading up to the accident as well as some video surveillance we were able to obtain through city transit,” Snyder said.
Snyder added officers are still looking to speak with the other three passengers who were onboard the bus at the time of the incident.
Investigators are asking the two women, one with a baby stroller and the elderly man who were on the No. 1 Mainline which departed from the Water Street bus terminal at 6:50 p.m. last Friday to contact police.
