Ontario Bus Driver Found Not Guilty in Fatal, ‘Horrific’ and ‘Bewildering’ Crash

A MiWay bus driver charged after a deadly multi-vehicle crash in Mississauga, Ontario, three years ago has been found not guilty of dangerous driving causing death.

The judge-alone trial focused on whether the crash was caused by driver inattention or possible brake failure.

Crash Happened in June 2023

The collision happened on June 8, 2023, near Derry Road and Rexwood Road.

Police said at the time that a MiWay bus struck several stopped vehicles.

Sharron Williams, 50, was killed in the crash, and several other people were injured.

Transit Operator Pleaded Not Guilty

The bus driver, Baljeet Dhaliwal, pleaded not guilty to dangerous driving causing death.

On Friday morning, Justice David E. Harris delivered his decision and found Dhaliwal not guilty.

Judge Describes Victim’s Final Moments

In his judgment, Harris said Williams was sitting in bumper-to-bumper traffic, waiting for the light to turn green, when she was killed.

He wrote that she had no warning and no chance to avoid the crash, describing the collision as a sudden and cruel tragedy.

Williams was in the driver’s seat of a Nissan Rogue when the bus crashed into the stopped vehicles.

Dash Camera Video Shown at Trial

The crash was captured on dash camera video from a nearby vehicle.

Harris described the footage as shocking.

He said the video showed Dhaliwal’s bus moving at significant speed and apparently not slowing before it struck two rows of vehicles stopped at a red light.

The judge wrote that the bus caused a devastating chain reaction and crushed several vehicles before hitting Williams’ vehicle at full speed.

Two Possible Causes Considered

Harris said there were two possible explanations for the crash.

One possibility was that Dhaliwal was distracted and failed to brake.

The other was that the bus brakes malfunctioned.

Dhaliwal did not testify in her own defence.

Defence Argued Brake Failure

Dhaliwal’s lawyers argued that the bus brakes failed and that she eventually had to use the hand brake to stop the vehicle.

A Crown mechanic testified that the brakes were working at the time of the crash.

However, the defence challenged the reliability of that witness.

Crown Claimed Pattern of Inattention

The Crown argued that the brakes were functioning properly.

Prosecutors said Dhaliwal did not apply them because of a “pattern of inattention” on the day of the fatal crash.

Judge Finds Reasonable Doubt

In his decision, Harris called the events leading to the crash “bewildering.”

He said the full cause of the collision had not been solved.

The judge concluded that brake failure remained a realistic possibility and that the Crown had not proven its case beyond a reasonable doubt.

He wrote that prosecutors failed to convincingly rule out brake malfunction as the cause of the crash.

Victim’s Son Reacts

After the decision, Williams’ son, Danny, spoke outside the courthouse.

He said he did not believe justice had been served, but added that there was nothing more the family could do.

He also said he believed many things could have been handled differently.

The fatal Mississauga bus crash case ended with Baljeet Dhaliwal being found not guilty after the judge ruled that reasonable doubt remained.

While the crash killed Sharron Williams and injured others, the court found that the Crown had not fully eliminated brake failure as a possible cause. The decision has left the victim’s family disappointed and still searching for answers.