Our condolences to her family and her loved ones.
A woman in her 60s has died days after being struck by a school bus in southwest Calgary, in a collision that initially appeared to have caused only minor injuries.
Calgary police confirmed her death Monday. Her name has not been released.
She was struck around 3 p.m. on Thursday, September 17, near 162 Avenue and Sixth Street S.W. in the community of Somerset.
There were two children aboard the school bus at the time. Neither was hurt. The driver stayed at the scene.
Her injuries were first believed to be minor
When first responders arrived Thursday afternoon, the woman's injuries did not appear to be life-threatening.
She was taken to hospital as a precaution with what police initially described as non-life-threatening injuries.
By Friday, that had changed. Police said her condition had deteriorated and she was now suffering from serious, life-threatening injuries.
On Monday, police announced she had died.
What police are trying to determine
The Calgary Police Service Traffic Section is investigating what led to the collision.
Police say it's still too early to determine whether speed, impairment or distraction contributed. All possible factors remain under investigation.
Several details about the moments before the woman was struck haven't been released. Police haven't said whether she was in a crosswalk, which direction the bus was travelling, or how the collision happened.
They also haven't identified the school the bus was serving or the company that operates it. No further information about the driver or the two children, including their ages, has been released.
No charges have been announced.
What happens in a fatal collision investigation
Now that the collision has resulted in a death, the investigation changes in scope.
Investigators in fatal collisions typically reconstruct the scene, examine the vehicle involved, collect video and take statements from the driver and any witnesses. That work usually takes weeks, and sometimes months, before police are in a position to say what happened.
That's why no charges have been announced. It doesn't mean charges will or won't follow.
When an investigation is complete, the outcome can range from no charges at all, to charges under Alberta's Traffic Safety Act, to Criminal Code charges, depending on what investigators find.
In Alberta, deaths that follow an accident are also reportable to the Office of the Chief Medical Examiner, which determines the cause and manner of death.
Police are looking for witnesses
The collision happened around 3 p.m., near the end of the school day, when other drivers, parents and pedestrians were likely in the area.
Anyone who saw what happened, or has dash camera footage from around 162 Avenue and Sixth Street S.W. at about 3 p.m. on September 17, is asked to come forward.
Call the Calgary Police Service at 403-266-1234 and reference case CA26426231.
Anonymous tips can be submitted to Crime Stoppers at 1-800-222-8477 or through calgarycrimestoppers.org.
Another pedestrian was killed on 162 Avenue in 2024
This isn't the first pedestrian death along 162 Avenue in recent years.
In February 2024, a 48-year-old woman was killed while crossing at a marked crosswalk at the intersection of 24 Street and 162 Avenue S.W., a few kilometres west of this week's collision.
Police said she was struck by a Honda Pilot that had been travelling south on 24 Street and was turning into the eastbound lanes of 162 Avenue. The SUV then struck a bus shelter before coming to a stop. She was taken to hospital with life-threatening injuries and died a short time later.
Police said impairment and speed were not considered factors in that collision.
The two deaths happened more than two years apart, at different intersections and under different circumstances. Police have not connected them.
Earlier this month, an 80-year-old woman suffered life-altering injuries in another Calgary collision involving a bus, near Beddington Boulevard and Centre Street N.
The Somerset investigation remains ongoing.
Sources
Police investigate pedestrian collision in Somerset — Calgary Police Service
Details about the two children aboard the school bus and the driver as reported by CBC News. Details of the February 2024 pedestrian death at 24 Street and 162 Avenue S.W. as reported by Global News.
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