OPP officer charged in school bus crash

CTV Kitchener: Questions over officer's charge Fergus residents are wondering if they would have been treated the same as an OPP officer who drove into a school bus. David Imrie explains.

A member of the Wellington County OPP has been charged in connection with a crash between his cruiser and a school bus in Fergus.

For allegedly starting his vehicle unsafely, Const. Alexander Smith faces a maximum penalty of an $85 fine and two demerit points.

“The vehicle struck the back of the school bus – it wasn’t passing a school bus – and the appropriate charge was levied,” OPP Sgt. Dave Rektor told CTV News on Friday.

The crash occurred Tuesday on Scotland Street, near Millburn Boulevard, while the bus was transporting a group of students.

“The vehicle in front moved. The officer assumed that it was going to go forward. The vehicle stopped suddenly, and the officer struck the back of the vehicle,” Rektor said.

The front of Smith’s cruiser was damaged in the crash, and he was taken to hospital to be treated for minor injuries.

Nobody aboard the bus was injured.

By being charged with unsafely starting from a stopped position, Smith faces a lighter maximum penalty than he would have had police seen fit to charge him with careless driving, which carries the potential for six demerit points and a $400 fine.

The charge will not affect Smith’s ability to continue working for the OPP.