School Bus Rolls Over on Highway 401 Ramp in Chatham Kent

A school bus carrying 36 adult passengers rolled over on the Highway 401 westbound off-ramp at Bloomfield Road in Chatham-Kent at 11 a.m., sending 10 people to hospital for precautionary treatment, according to Elgin OPP.

Police said the crash occurred south of Chatham and the bus came to rest on its side on a slope beside the ramp. A portable triage tent was set up while emergency crews transported patients.

Chatham-Kent Health Alliance spokesperson Fannie Vavoulis said patients were assessed and treated after the incident. The hospital thanked medical staff, emergency services, police and firefighters involved in the response.

"We want to thank our physicians, staff, EMS, (Chatham-Kent police) and (Chatham-Kent) fire," Fannie Vavoulis, spokesperson for Chatham-Kent Health Alliance, said.

Vavoulis said the patients brought to the hospital were being seen and treated after the rollover. The off-ramp was later reopened at about 2:48 p.m., according to Elgin OPP.

Elgin OPP Sgt. Ed Sanchuk said investigators are continuing to examine the circumstances surrounding the crash. Police are seeking information from witnesses, including available dashcam footage.

"I would just like to take this opportunity to thank the good Samaritans who stopped to provide assistance," Sgt. Ed Sanchuk, Elgin OPP, said.

Sanchuk said members of the public who stopped at the scene helped during the emergency response. The investigation remains ongoing as police review information about the rollover.

"You definitely made a very difficult situation a little bit easier," Sgt. Ed Sanchuk, Elgin OPP, said.

The bus was carrying adults traveling from Toronto to visit a person in Chatham-Kent, according to a person who briefly spoke with The Chatham News at the scene. The Highway 401 off-ramp has reopened.