

CTV Montreal





Two separate bus crashes have led to one death and two injuries as blowing snow and strong winds made driving difficult on Quebec roads early Saturday morning.



Claude Davidson, 48, was fatally struck by a military vehicle at 6:40 a.m. on Highway 10 in Carignan, in Montérégie.



Davidson was on a Longueuil city bus that skidded into the median. Though it is typically against protocol, Davidson and other passengers exited the vehicle because they smelled gas.



At that same time, a military vehicle also lost control and slid into the victim.



Though the military officers performed first aid, Davidson was declared dead at the scene.



The victim was an employee of the Réseau de transport de Longueuil bus service, though he was not driving the vehicle.



Police say the road conditions are to blame in the incident.



“The road conditions were such that made it very difficult for the military vehicle to maintain control,” said SQ spokesperson Daniel Thibaudeau.



Five other passengers were treated for minor injuries on the bus, one of which who was treated for shock at seeing her colleague hit.



Meantime, a second bus crash left two Sûreté du Québec officers injured at scene of an accident on Highway 20 in Mont-Saint-Hilaire, also in Montérégie.

Their patrol car was struck by a 53-foot-long truck while they were preparing to help the passengers of an Orleans Express bus that was stuck in a ditch along the highway.



The truck jackknifed behind them, then sideswiped the patrol car.

The officers suffered minor injuries but were hospitalized as a precaution.



“Thankfully both of them were wearing seatbelts, which minimized the impact of the injuries,” said Thibaudeau, adding that they were released later in the morning.



Two people were slightly injured on that bus for mostly minor injuries.



Police say they are trying to determine what caused the truck to jackknife, adding that there doesn’t appear to be any criminal element, but it is possible the driver could face an infraction for not obeying the Move Over Law.



Drivers in that area should take note: the wreckage will only be cleared away on Sunday morning.