'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.
"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.
CTVNews.ca Top Stories
Robert Pickton stabbed with toothbrush and broken broom handle: victim's family
The family of one of Robert Pickton's victims says the convicted serial killer suffered an incredibly violent death at the hands of another inmate.
Republicans join Trump's attacks on justice system and campaign of vengeance after guilty verdict
Embracing Donald Trump's strategy of blaming the U.S. justice system after his historic guilty verdict, Republicans in Congress are fervently enlisting themselves in his campaign of vengeance and political retribution in the GOP bid to reclaim the White House.
Daughter of Angelina Jolie and Brad Pitt files court petition to remove father's last name
A daughter of actors Angelina Jolie and Brad Pitt filed paperwork to legally remove "Pitt" from her name on the day she turned 18.
Ex-husband charged with murder in death of Lumby, B.C., woman
The ex-husband of Tatjana Stefanski – the woman whose disappearance and death set the small town of Lumby, B.C., on edge last month – has been charged with her murder.
U.K. ambassador to Mexico out after video allegedly shows him pointing a rifle at a colleague
The U.K.’s ambassador to Mexico has left his post after a video was posted on social media that purportedly shows him pointing an assault rifle at an embassy employee.
U.S. defense secretary says war with China neither imminent nor unavoidable, stressing need for talks
United States Secretary of Defense Lloyd Austin told a gathering of top security officials Saturday that war with China was neither imminent nor unavoidable, despite rapidly escalating tensions in the Asia-Pacific region, stressing the importance of renewed dialogue between him and his Chinese counterpart in avoiding "miscalculations and misunderstandings."
Oilers beat Stars, one win away from Stanley Cup berth
Ryan Nugent-Hopkins scored two power-play goals as Edmonton smothered the Dallas Stars 3-1 to take a 3-2 lead in the NHL's Western Conference final on Friday.
'We will go with the majority': Liberals slammed by opposition over proposal to delay next election
The federal Liberal government learned Friday it might have to retreat on a proposal within its electoral reform legislation to delay the next vote by one week, after all opposition parties came out to say they can't support it.
Is carbon pricing a politically feasible climate policy? Research says maybe not
Research suggests the Liberals may be fighting a losing battle, and some experts are urging policymakers to look for alternative policies to lower emissions, warning the threat of climate change is too dire to delay action.