Family in West Vancouver bus tragedy provides update as memorial grows

A West Vancouver community is in mourning after a tragic bus crash that left a four-year-old boy dead.

It’s a day of mourning in West Vancouver, following Wednesday’s tragic bus crash which left a four-year-old boy dead – also badly injuring his mother and another woman near the Horseshoe Bay ferry terminal.

A family friend acting as a spokesperson has contacted CTV News and says the mother has undergone eight hours of surgery and is now in stable condition, also revealing that the other woman initially taken to hospital has been released.

The family wishes to express their gratitude to the staff at Lions Gate and Vancouver General hospitals, as well as first responders.

They also say through the spokesperson that they are praying for the bus driver and wish him the best in the circumstances.

There’s also a request for the public to respect the family’s privacy and the ongoing investigations related to the crash.

Meanwhile, on Thursday a memorial has been slowly growing near the bus stop where this happened.

Among those leaving flowers was a group of students who witnessed the tragedy.

“I wanted to try and model some healthy grief and so I bought some flowers and asked them all to take a piece and share a thought for mom and the boy that’s lost,” North Vancouver teacher Keith Gallant told reporters at the scene of the crash Thursday morning.

The crash happened just down the street from where West Vancouver acting mayor Linda Watt lives, and she expressed the shock that is rippling through the community.

“We are absolutely devasted and our heartfelt condolences go out to the families involved, the bystanders and the first responders, which are often overlooked, the trauma to them in a situation like this,” Watt said.

The bus jumped the curb Thursday afternoon and has since been towed from the scene so police can analyze it.

The West Vancouver Police Department said officers have spoken with the bus driver and are looking into whether criminality was involved. No updates have been provided by investigators since an initial news conference Wednesday night.