Three children and one man were transported to hospital with serious injuries after a school bus drove off the road in Sainte-Marguerite-Marie, in Quebec’s Matapédia Valley at the base of the Gaspé Peninsula.
The accident happened near an exit on Kempt Road around 8 a.m. ET as the bus was bringing the kids to elementary school.
Sgt. Claude Doiron of Sûreté du Québec (SQ) said the driver may have felt ill, leading to the crash.
There were 11 children in the bus at the time of the accident, all between the ages of seven and 13.
The spokesperson for the Lower St. Lawrence regional health authority (CISSS), Gilles Turmel, said people started arriving at the hospital in Amqui around 9 a.m.
“Everything went well, our teams reacted very quickly and were ready to care for the children,” said Turmel.
The SQ says eight children have already been discharged but three have been transferred to Sainte-Justine pediatric hospital in Montreal. The driver has been transferred to a hospital in Quebec City.
Seven social workers are offering psycho-social support to the victims and their families, said Turmel.
“That support will be offered as long as it’s necessary. It’s important to remind people that even people who aren’t directly affected by the accident but a few days later may feel bad and need to talk,” he said.
He recommends people contact the province’s health hotline (811) and select Option 2 for emotional support.
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