Some students have safety concerns following a single-car crash in front of Fanshawe College on Tuesday evening.
The impact knocked out a fence and sent a concrete post flying.
It all happened shortly after 8:30 p.m. within metres of students waiting to board London Transit buses.
“And I just saw a car, like a black car coming fast, and it just skidded and skidded right toward the fence. I just heard a loud bang,” said JaiRaj Bhambota.
He immediately jumped off the bus to help the driver. Along the way, he noticed a few students had been hit by flying bricks.
A photo he took in the aftermath shows the damage the car sustained.
“I talked to the guy actually, because I have a first aid license. So, I went to them like, ‘Are you okay?’ He had minor scratches [on his forehead] but he had a deep cut in the middle of his head.”
Police later confirmed the driver was treated at a hospital and released. No one else was injured.
A media officer would not comment further on the ongoing police investigation, including what led to the crash or whether or not charges would be laid.
Still, given the aftermath, students are amazed no one else was hurt.
“That could have been dangerous,” reacted Dakota Johnson. “I catch this bus every day, so I don’t know what would have happened if I had been standing here when this happened.”
Several students expressed safety concerns in the wake of the incident. They want the London Transit Commission, Fanshawe College, and the city to consider installing a stronger barrier along Oxford Street in front of the bus shelters.
“They should, like, build something, perhaps a very hard concrete barrier over there. It’s like a huge wall. So that if anything happens in the daylight, they can save the students from that incident,” stated student Zain Ahmed.
But other students question if a wall, stronger fence, or even a railing would work. They also point out such a structure would not protect smokers who gather along the sidewalk.
They would rather see enhanced speed enforcement along Oxford Street.
“I would think of other solutions to the problem instead of just putting something bigger in front of the cars,” shared a student waiting for the bus.
“It’s a bad thing that happened, and people need to be more safe. I mean, this is a crazy thing,” another reflected.
