A 43-year-old man has been sentenced to three years in prison for slamming a delivery truck head-on into a TTC bus back in 2013, killing one woman and injuring a dozen other people.
Vicente Arbis was found guilty of six charges in January of 2017, including criminal negligence causing death, operating a motor vehicle causing death and two counts of criminal negligence causing bodily harm.
The charges stem from a devastating crash in the north end of Toronto on August 13, 2013.
At around 11 a.m. that morning, Arbis was travelling east on Steeles Avenue when the delivery truck he was driving crashed into a TTC bus stopped near Middlefield Road.
Manoranjana Kanagasabapathy, a 52-year-old grandmother, was boarding the bus at the time of the crash and was struck by the delivery truck. She died at the scene.
A total of 12 people were also sent to hospital with various injuries.
The family of Kanagasabapathy told the court Monday that she was the matriarch of the family who was always willing to help relatives adjust to new life in Canada.
They said her house was often seen as a refuge for newcomer relatives who needed reminders of life back home.
“We have lost our sister and our lifeline,” her younger brother told the court. “Nobody can bring her back to life.”
Kanagasabapathy was on her way to her local temple the morning of the crash, her family said.
“Our grief returns whenever we come across a TTC bus,” her brother said.
A statement read on behalf of her devastated husband reiterated that sentiment, saying he “dreads travelling by the TTC.”
Previously, the court heard evidence that Arbis was driving the wrong way at a high rate of speed while using a cellphone that morning. At some point, his truck crossed the centre median and slammed into the sitting TTC bus.
During today’s proceedings, the Crown reminded the judge that Arbis is a first time offender but that his punishment shouldn’t reflect on him as a person but rather for his bad conduct as a driver.
Arbis has also received a driving ban of 10 years.
