A B.C. Transit driver and 28 passengers escaped injury Sunday evening after a rock dropped from a pedestrian overpass smashed the bus windshield and forced the vehicle to a stop on the Trans-Canada Highway in Saanich.
The incident occurred at about 9 p.m. as the double-decker bus on the No. 50 Goldstream route was heading westbound, passing beneath the pedestrian overpass at Spectrum Community School, near the intersection of the highway and McKenzie Avenue.
"Oh my gosh, it's horrible," said Joanna Morton, B.C. Transit spokeswoman."It's something we're baffled by -- how could somebody even think of doing such a heinous thing? It's a criminal act. We're lucky that nobody was hurt."
Municipalities on the Lower Mainland have shielded many pedestrian overpasses with fencing to prevent rocks and other objects to be dropped from them.
The union representing B.C. Transit drivers, the Canadian Auto Workers Local 333, wants to see similar infrastructure in place here.
"We want to address the municipalities about fencing and lighting," said Tim Robins, CAW local 333 vice-president, yesterday. "We're asking to have the overpasses fenced and adequate lighting put up there. If there are kids or people on the overpasses, that we're able to see them.
"Things of this nature really disturb us and I think it's the responsibility of the municipalities to get together and do something about this, not only for the safety of the drivers but for the safety of the public."
The rock was recovered but Robins didn't know its size or weight. Glass had sprayed inside the bus, but no one inside was injured.
Serious injuries have been caused by the dropping of objects from overpasses.
In February 1999, a youth dropped an 18-kilogram boulder onto a pickup truck travelling on the Nanaimo Parkway. Kevin Holmes, a passenger in the pickup, suffered a fractured skull, broken jaw and teeth, a broken collarbone and cracked rib. A 17-year-old youth pleaded guilty to the crime and was sentenced to three months in jail.
Catching those who toss rocks and then dash from the scene isn't easy, said Cst. Brad Brajcich of Saanich Police.
"Usually incidents like these we find out about after the fact and when we do investigate it, the parties are long gone," said Brajcich.
The repaired bus was back in service yesterday and the driver was on the job.
Saanich Mayor Frank Leonard was disturbed to hear of the incident yesterday.
"I'm disappointed that our community needs that," he said of overpass fencing.
But Leonard said he's open to exploring solutions. "Between the police and public works, I'm sure somebody's going to follow it up."
smcculloch@tc.canwest.com
