A Grade 11 St. Mary's High School student was injured after being struck by a transit bus at the roundabout at Homer Watson Boulevard and Block Line Road.
The collision occurred around 8:45 a.m. Friday morning. Police and emergency crews were on the scene for several hours.
The 16-year-old Kitchener youth was transported to Grand River Hospital by ambulance with head, leg and arm injuries.
Tim Boniface of the Waterloo Regional Police Service says "Her head snapped and hit the windshield, so damage itself to the bus isn't all that extensive, but there is a lot of mass behind that which can cause fairly severe injuries."
The victim was conscious at the scene and the injuries are believed to be serious but non life-threatening.
The veteran driver, who immediately called 911, had reportedly been making a right turn from Homer Watson onto Block Line when the collision occurred.
The driver's side window on the Grand River Transit bus was smashed and the bike rack mounted on the front of the bus was bent.
The bus was empty at the time and had been en route to making a school special run.
School staff was on scene quickly and counsellors have been called in for those who witnessed the crash.
Student Elvira Fondoh says "I think it's just a death trap waiting to happen, because this is like a really busy place and there are a lot of students and most of the drivers, they don't really care."
Other students say they had feared this would happen one day soon.
Student Summer Habberfield says "I think it's dangerous and there's been a lot of accidents and it's just not a good idea. Even on the second day they opened it, someone got hit and my friend and I almost got hit the other day."
The roundabout only opened to traffic in late August, and reports say there have been more than two dozen accidents already, though this is the first involving serious injuries to a pedestrian.
Following Friday's crash, many drivers were distracted by the scene, leading to a slowdown in the area.
Some local drivers say many people do not obey the rules of the roundabout, causing frayed nerves and near crashes nearly everyday.
Area resident Charlotte Cooper says "I think it was a pretty bad idea, for around this area anyway. Some areas are pretty good but especially around the school area I don't think it was a very good idea."
Eric Gillespie of Grand River Transit says they will be looking into the accident.
"The driver is quite concerned and shaken up, as is the region," he says, "We're very concerned about this. We'll be doing a thorough investigation."
Meanwhile the school board is concerned for the safety of the students in the area.
John Shewchuk of the Waterloo District Catholic School Board says "The information is there, it's not like there is a lack of information about how you negotiate a roundabout either as a pedestrian or as a motorist. Hopefully this is a wake-up call for everybody now."
While the investigation continues, everyone involved is calling for both drivers and pedestrians to take more care at all the roundabouts in the region.
