Quebec coroner urges mandatory breaks for Montreal bus drivers after fatal accident

A Quebec coroner's report says Montreal bus drivers need mandatory breaks, and it recommends the transit authority put the measure in place to help avoid collisions.

This follows the death of a pedestrian last spring who was struck by a city bus.

The coroner, Dr. Edgard Nassif, explains that 65-year-old Mohan Chandran was hit by the bus while in the crosswalk at Edouard-Laurin and Décarie boulevards on March 4.

The bus, operated by the Société de transport de Montréal (STM), was heading south on Décarie and it turned onto Edouard-Laurin. That's when it collided with the pedestrian.

Nassif's report says the driver did not see Chandran, and did not stop completely when he should have.

The driver continued to roll a few metres without braking despite the noise of impact and the side mirror folding toward the window.

Montreal police declared Chandran dead at the scene, being faced with a "case of obvious death," the report says.

The coroner noted contributing factors to the collision, such as defective street lights on the northwest corner. The report also says the pedestrian, who was intoxicated by alcohol, was wearing dark clothing and failed to react to the approaching bus.

An STM investigator found blind spots on the bus also played a role, as did the driver's failure to follow certain protocols when making such a turn.

Ultimately, the coroner's report lists human error as the principal cause of the collision.

The driver told investigators that he had been working seven-and-a-half-hour shifts with no scheduled breaks.

He said he is supposed to average one hour of break time per shift, but he could only take it in increments if he was ahead of schedule on his routes. He said that many colleagues didn't even have time to use the bathroom.

But on March 4, he did have breaks. He took one 20-minute break to snack, and another to 30-minute break to eat a sandwich.

Regardless, the coroner recommends the STM give drivers mandatory breaks to help them be more vigilant and reactive.