Sudbury bus driver opens up about attack

Steven Blondin, the Sudbury Transit operator who was attacked by a knife-wielding assailant on Sunday night, says he was just trying to survive those frantic moments after stopping to help someone in distress.

Blondin said he was at Health Sciences North, heading towards the Algoma Hospital when he noticed a man running down Ramsey Lake Road with his hand on his throat.

Sudbury police said the man jumped out a moving taxi on Ramsey Lake Road before approaching the bus.

"I stopped to see if I could offer assistance," Blondin said. "[The man] was frantic and panicking, trying to figure out what was going on."

"He then assaulted me with a knife."

• Sudbury Transit driver assaulted
• 'Can't put a price on safety': CUPE pushes for better security on Sudbury transit after assault

Blondin said his "fight instinct" kicked in.

"I was just trying to get control, get the weapon, [trying] to survive," he said.

"I was able to gain control of the situation, get him to the ground." 

Police arrived quickly. Blondin thinks the taxi driver likely called police.

"Police were right outside the door. [They] were able to subdue him and get the knife and get me away from him."

It was then Blondin saw the damage the attacker inflicted.

"I noticed the large gash on my wrist," he said. "And from the amount of blood that was coming out...I thought I was in a wee bit of trouble."

He was taken to hospital, where staff stitched him up and sent him on his way.

Blondin, who's been driving a bus for over two years, said he's not letting the actions of one person deter him from getting back to the job he loves.

"I won't be driving for the time being," he said. "I do want to get behind the wheel as fast as I can."

"I've been doing this for two and a half years, and love being able to interact with people," he said.

"I love it all throughout."

Blondin said incidents like this are rare for Sudbury bus drivers. Being short of fare, or just having a bad day can often set a customer off, he said, but most of the time drivers can diffuse the situations quickly.