Lakehead District School Board confirms one of its students killed in Tuesday school bus crash
10-year-old cyclist struck at Red River Road and Clarkson Street Tuesday morning
Officials with the Lakehead District School Board have confirmed that one of its students died in a collision with a school bus Tuesday morning.
The 10-year-old was riding a bike at the corner of Red River Road and Clarkson Street South. Police say they believe that at the time of the collision, the school bus was navigating a right-hand turn from Clarkson onto Red River Road, while the young cyclist was travelling west on the south sidewalk approaching the intersection.
In a notice sent to families Wednesday, the school board shared resources about discussing grief with their children, and attached a link to mental health resources available on its website. It also offered information about walk-in counselling clinics available in Thunder Bay.
The Student Transportation Services of Thunder Bay also put out a statement, offering its sincere condolences to the student's parents, family, friends and school staff.
"We are a community in mourning. We stand together and our thoughts are with the family of the student, the bus driver and the students on the bus, the affected school communities, as well as all the first responders on the scene," the statement reads.
Federal Minister of Health Jean-Yves Duclos, who was in Thunder Bay Wednesday, also shared sympathy for what the community is going through.
"It's a tragedy, being a parent and being fathers in particular, we feel [what] that can cause both in the family and in the community and in the school," he said.
Thunder Bay police say they were called to the corner of Red River Road and Clarkson Street South, just after 8:40 a.m. on Tuesday, following reports of an incident involving a young cyclist and a bus.
The 10-year-old child was transported to the Thunder Bay Regional Health Sciences Centre for treatment, but later died from injuries sustained during the collision.
Police say an investigation into the incident is ongoing.
Anyone with information that could assist in the investigation is asked to contact the Thunder Bay police non-emergency line.