On February 8, 2023, a bus driver crashed a Société de transport de Laval (STL) bus into a daycare in the Sainte-Rose district of Laval, Quebec, Canada, killing two children and hospitalizing six others. The driver exited the bus immediately after the crash, screaming hysterically and tearing off his clothes. He was immediately subdued by parents and residents and arrested by police minutes after the crash.
Police secured the scene and children were moved to another school, where police and teachers calmed the children and reunited them with their panicked parents. A spontaneous memorial of teddy bears and flowers appeared just outside the crash scene by evening. Trauma experts were on hand to support residents and parents. The next day, Premier of Quebec Francois Legault paid his respects at the scene, and Prime Minister of Canada Justin Trudeau attended a memorial service at the Sainte-Rose-de-Lima Church the following day.
The driver was identified as 51-year old Pierre Ny St-Amand, a father-of-two living in Laval with no prior known history of criminal behavior or mental illness. A Quebec Superior Court in Laval found him fit to stand trial, but ordered a second psychiatric assessment to assess his mental condition at the time of the crash to determine criminal responsibility. As of April 26, 2023, the report has been submitted to the court and sealed from the public to allow prosecution and defence time to examine the report. The accused is being held at the Philippe-Pinel Institute psychiatric hospital in Montreal while awaiting his next court hearing scheduled for August 22.
Incident
On the morning of Wednesday, February 8, 2023, parents were dropping off their children at the Garderie Éducative de Sainte-Rose daycare on Terrasse Dufferin, a cul-de-sac in Sainte-Rose district of Laval. Buses for the Société de Transport de Laval route 151 line operate regularly on this road, turning around in the roundabout at the end of the road to get to the bus stop near the daycare.
At around 8:30 am EST, witnesses first heard a bus operated by driver Pierre Ny St-Amand rev its engine. The bus turned sharply into the daycare driveway, and headed at 30 or 40 kilometers per hour straight to the part of the building where four- and five-year-olds gather. The bus smashed down the exterior wall of the daycare on impact, and almost brought down parts of the roof.
The driver climbed out of the vehicle after the crash and began to take off his clothes while screaming. Witnesses and parents quickly subdued the man, while others rushed into the building to pull out injured children as chunks of the ceiling fell to the floor. Police and ambulance arrived within minutes. The driver was cuffed and dragged naked and in hysterics to the police car. Witnesses described him as not in his right mind. The bus was towed from the scene late in the evening.
Victims
At noon, police announced that one child was pronounced dead on the scene, while another died in the hospital. The victims were later identified as Jacob Gauthier, aged 4, and Maëva David, aged 5. Funerals and memorials for the two children were held at the Sainte-Rose-de-Lima Church February 15 and 25, respectively.
Two boys and two girls were taken to Sainte-Justine children's hospital in Montreal; three others were taken to Cité-de-la-Santé hospital in Laval. Two of four children aged three- to five-years-old taken in by Sainte-Justine Hospital were released the following day.
Aftermath
Uninjured children were taken to nearby elementary school where police and daycare workers calmed the children. Panicked parents that showed up at the blocked-off crash site were directed towards the school and had to wait two hours as identities were confirmed. Parents of injured children were taken out of the room and informed of their children's status, and the remaining parents told their children were safe.
By the evening, bereaved local residents had set up a spontaneous memorial with flowers and stuffed animals. Police and social services set up a command post to offer mental health support to visitors. Residents gathered in the evening to console each other at the Sainte-Rose-de-Lima parish church. Daycares all over Quebec flew white flags in solidarity with the crash victims. In the evening, Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau and Laval mayor Stéphane Boyer paid their respects at the vigil with dozens of people gathered in front of the church.