'Heroic' TTC driver rescues 4 people before GO train crushes car

A TTC bus driver rescued four people who were stuck in a car on GO train tracks just minutes before a train rammed into their vehicle.

The driver of the car told CTV News Toronto he was confused driving in the snowy, dark weather along Finch Avenue, just west of Midland Avenue, around 6 p.m. on Thursday night.

He said when he suddenly realized he was on the GO train tracks, he tried to make a U-turn and got stuck.

The TTC bus operator on the Finch east route told CTV News Toronto he’s very familiar with the GO schedule and knew the next train was only minutes away.

After the driver spotted the stuck car, he said he abandoned the bus he was driving and ran towards the vehicle, flung the doors open and unbuckled the passenger’s seat belts.

Both the TTC operator and the driver of the vehicle asked not to be identified.

Just four or five minutes later, the train came on schedule, crashing into the car and pushing it down the tracks, police said.

Another act of incredibly heroic work by a #TTC frontline employee around 6pm last night in Scarborough.
A bus operator on Finch east route rescued four people from a car stuck on slippery tracks just moments before it was hit by a train.
Formal commendation will be awarded.

— TTC Media Relations 📰🚌🚋🚈 (@TTCNewsroom) February 3, 2023

"He's the hero tonight. If he didn't signal them to get out on time, I don't know what would have happened,” Toronto Police Sgt. Renato Valdez said.

The TTC echoed that sentiment in a tweet on Friday morning, calling the driver “incredibly heroic” and announcing a formal commendation will be awarded to him.

"Fortunately there were no injuries," Valdez said.