François Legault Visited The Laval Daycare Bus Crash Site & Shared A Personal Message
"There's nothing harder than losing a child or to wonder for a period of time [...] 'is my child affected?'"
Quebec Premier François Legault and his wife, Isabelle Brais, lay flowers at the site where a Laval city bus crashed into a daycare on February 8.
On Thursday, Quebec Premier François Legault visited the site where a Laval city bus crashed into a daycare on Wednesday, killing two children and injuring six others. He was joined by his wife, Isabelle Brais, opposition leaders in the National Assembly, provincial government ministers and other MNAs, alongside Laval Mayor Stéphane Boyer.
He extended condolences to families affected by the tragedy and shared a message of support for everyone who has been "directly or indirectly" impacted.
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More broadly, he encouraged anyone who feels they might need psychological support as a result of the incident to seek help, either by visiting the local command centre established by authorities following the crash or by calling Info-Santé at 811.
"There's nothing harder," the premier continued, "than losing a child or to wonder for a period of time [...] 'is my child affected?'" He said that in this case, some families had to wait up to an hour for information.
"We were talking while eating breakfast, Isabelle and I. We were saying, we have two children, imagine if this happened to our child. How could we go on living? It's as serious as that."
Police have arrested the alleged driver of the bus, a 51-year-old Société de transport de Laval (STL) employee, on homicide and dangerous driving charges.
Laval Police Chief Pierre Brochet said Wednesday that the lives of the six injured children are not in danger. Four of those children were in the care of Montreal's CHU Sainte-Justine, the hospital told Narcity Québec. As of Thursday morning, two had been discharged. The condition of the two others was "progressing quite well," a spokesperson said.
The flag atop the Quebec National Assembly Building was at half-mast Thursday.
If you or someone you know is struggling with depression or mental health concerns, please reach out to a trusted peer, parent or health care professional. You can also contact the Crisis Services Canada helpline, which is available 24 hours a day, or consult these additional resources. If you need immediate assistance, please call 911 or go to your nearest hospital. Support is available.