School Bus Collision & Fire In Lambton County
Fires that develop after any collision must be taken seriously even when no one is seriously injured. The obvious danger is that if occupants cannot escape the confines of their vehicles even minor collisions can turn deadly. An example of this is shown in the above photo posted by the Ontario Provincial Police (OPP) regarding a collision that occurred at the intersection of Plank Road and LaSalle Line in Lambton County on the morning of Friday, December 12, 2025.
The circumstances indicate that the school bus was westbound on LaSalle Line and came to the stop-sign controlled intersection with Plank Road. A Minivan was travelling north-west along Plank Road and as it approached LaSalle Line the school bus entered into the intersection. The Van struck the school bus in its driver’s (left) side and both vehicles travelled to the north-west roadside as shown in the above photo. At some point a fire erupted. All persons were able to exit their vehicles including two students on the bus. News media reported that subsequently the driver of the bus, a 68-year-old, was charged with “Fail to Yield to Traffic”. There were no serious injuries as a result of the collision or fire.
Given the evidence shown in the above photo It would appear that the Van caught fire first because it is totally consumed. The fire evidence on the bus is at a high level and suggests that the flames from the Van were transferred onto the bus. But this opinion would need to be confirmed by an examination of both vehicles. Regardless, the occurrence of a fire in a collision is a serious matter that should be investigated further.
An examination of the collision site via Googlemaps shows that there was a non-standard intersection which would cause the school bus driver more difficulty examining vehicles approaching on Plank Road, as shown in the figure below.
The conclusion that the bus driver did not yield the right of way can be erroneous if investigators do not have a good grasp of how long it takes a school bus to begin an acceleration and what rate of acceleration might be reasonable. There is not much information in the public domain, nor amongst collision reconstructionsts, as to what acceleration values to use. If the Van was approaching at high speed this could complicate the reconstruction because pre-impact braking by the Van may not leave any physical evidence. Unfortunately, when a collision does not involve major or life-threatening injuries police do not send out a reconstructionist nor do they employ a Crash Data Retrieval kit to download collision data. Because there is a limited supply of these kits they are not employed in almost all collisions except those of a life-threatening nature.
Christmas
There were times when we accepted a simpler life. A simple roof over our heads, a fire to keep warm and to cook our food.
There were times when we understood the meaning of good behaviour. Regardless of religion or laws, we knew what was right and we attempted to follow that code.
There were times when we treated our neighbours like ourselves. Their good welfare was ours.
At Gorski Consulting we hope your Christmas is something more, even when it is something less. We hope you can give someone a smile, a laugh, and make someone happy. We hope you make this Christmas a truly Merry Christmas.
How Do You Request A Download of Collision Data From Your Vehicle?
Almost 00% of all new, light-duty vehicles are now equipped with event data recorders (“Black boxes”) which store valuable information about how a collision occurred. Many organizations such as police, insurers and various research groups continually gather this data for their purposes. But for the average vehicle owner such actions are close to impossible, for a number of reasons.
Many vehicle owners do not realize that there is collision data stored in modules on their vehicle. In other instances vehicle owners do not understand what data they can obtain. And in other instances they do not know who to approach and what they should ask for when making a request for such data.
There are private collision reconstructionists and forensic engineers who have the equipment to conduct such analyses but they are often retained by various insurers or legal firms and their costs can vary. In other instances collision data cannot be downloaded by such private firms and the only recourse is by making a request directly to a vehicle manufacturer. Requests to vehicle manufacturers are often made to a representative of their legal department.
For those wanting to know, the following text provides instructions from one manufacturer (Nissan) about how this request should be made.
“This email response will serve to notify you that Nissan North America is in receipt of a request for download of electronic data. In order for Nissan North America to assist with an electronic data recorder download request, the following information must be confirmed by the requestor in writing via US mail:
1. Please provide the make, model year, and VIN of the subject vehicle;
2. Confirm that you are in possession of the keys to the vehicle;
3. Confirm that the vehicle can be powered up so that the instrument panel lights illuminate. If the vehicle does not have a power source, the electronic data cannot be downloaded. Please note that if the subject vehicle cannot be powered, you must secure an external power source from an exemplar vehicle in order to complete the download. It is the responsibility of the requesting party to provide and arrange for this, and for all related expenses. There is no way to provide confirmation as to whether a download attempt will be successful prior to commencing;
4. Confirm whether there was airbag deployment. Data may or may not be recorded in a non-deployment event, and recording cannot be confirmed prior to proceeding to download. Some data points that may potentially be captured include vehicle speed, steering angle, or seatbelt status of the front occupants. Again, there is no guarantee that any data may be present, and data cannot be confirmed prior to commencing;
5. Provide the complete street address and lot number, if applicable, for the location of the vehicle, and affirm that the vehicle will be preserved and secured for a length of time necessary to complete the download. Please note that response times are controlled by the availability of the Dealer Technical Specialist who will be scheduled to complete the download. Nissan North America does not control, manage, or have access to the calendars or availability of Dealer Technical Specialists;
6. Confirm the designated contact person with whom the Dealer Technical Specialist can work to complete the download. Please provide name, email address, and telephone number;
7. Please provide written confirmation that Nissan North America is not being named in a product liability claim regarding this incident. Nissan North America does not provide a template for this;
8. Please provide the written consent for download from the vehicle’s owner. Nissan North America does not provide a template for this consent.
If all above requirements can be provided and you still wish to proceed with this request, please MAIL all correspondence in one packet along with the non-refundable payment of $850 per download attempt to the following:
Nissan North America
Attn: Product Liability Claims – Legal Department
P.O. Box 685001
Franklin, TN 37068
Thank you for your inquiry.”
Modern Nissan vehicles can possess additional features that could document collision data but that data may not exist in an EDR download. Advanced Driver Assistance Systems (ADAS) exist in many of these vehicles. ADAS use sensors to monitor traffic conditions and when the potential of a collision is detected ADAS may be enabled to intervene to avoid, or lessen the severity of a collision. However these ADAS interventions are not required to be displayed in a EDR download. Modern Nissans, like most modern vehicles also have cameras, some with video, mounted around their perimeter and the views from these cameras can be downloaded.
However caution is needed to ensure that the cameras can “see” well enough to detect dangers. In conditions of poor weather the view from these cameras can be obscured. In countries such as Canada snow and slush can be thrown onto the camera lens and this can prevent sensors from detecting dangers. Sometimes when the situation deteriorates an alarm will sound indicating that an ADAS is unable to perform properly and the camera lens needs to be wiped clean.
When an EDR download is required there are two ways in which this can be done depending on the damage to the vehicle. If damage is not to extensive imaging hardware can be connected to the Diagnostic Link Connector (DLC)located on the driver’s side, typically underneath the instrument panel.
When vehicle damage is too severe the module containing the EDR must be located, the wiring must be unplugged and the cable from the imaging hardware must be connected to the module. Unfortunately, every manufacturer’s preference for hardware and software varies and this complicates matters. Modules are generally located where there is the least opportunity for collision damage to affect their operation. So often they are located somewhere in the centre interior of a vehicle and often at a low level closer to the floor. There are numerous connector cables required which are different for each manufacturer and sometimes different for individual models. Software is also a challenge as updates are continually required and some manufacturers have decided to use their proprietary programs rather than complying with the larger group of manufacturers who have standardized programs.
In summary, it is officially claimed that vehicle owners have access to the collision data contained in their vehicles. However the practical reality is different. Such data is easier to obtain if you are a member of a large organization such as police, insurers, research institutions and manufacturers. However for almost all vehicle owners such luxuries do not exist.
Police Photos of Adelaide Street Collision Released – Further Evaluation Now Possible
In an unprecedented action London City Police released some useful photos of the collision that occurred between a pick-up truck and a Tesla passenger car on November 26, 2025 on Adelaide Street near Victoria Street in London, Ontario. This is a rare, helpful action as it allows the public to obtain a further understanding of such collisions. In almost all serious collisions in London such helpful actions by its city police service never occurs.
Background
Collision reconstruction is a complex affair that requires the analysis of good quality evidence. In the thousands of collisions examined for over 40 years, Zygmunt Gorski has had the opportunity to review all the details of a police investigation, including their, notes, measurements and photographs. Accompanying this it has been possible to examine the collision sites and involved vehicles to collect evidence independent of those police investigations. But those actions have occurred when Gorski was either employed to conduct investigations for Transport Canada, or has been officially retained by some party in a civil litigation matter or related to some criminal charges. It is a different affair when the news of a collision is published by a news agency where the quality and quantity of useful evidence is scarce, or sometimes non-existent.
When the collision on Adelaide Street occurred there was essentially no useful evidence to review. Some long distance photos from news media provided some indication that a significant collision had occurred but nothing else. However a single photo posted in a London Free Press article drew our attention to the fact that a structural failure occurred along the left (driver’s) side of a passenger car.
Structural failures are not a good thing. Engineers have worked very hard over recent decades to produce some very clever designs that have been tremendously successful in reducing the severity of injury. Even as vehicles have sometimes become smaller, faster, and their abilities to accelerate have increased. And government expectations through various safety standards have pushed engineers to the limits. And this has been a good thing. But no one designs vehicles for structural failure in a collision. There is no benefit to such a result and it often means that bad injury results can be expected.
Further Analysis
NHTSA has been using a side-impact test procedure since 1998 to evaluate the safety performance of new vehicles. A view of that set-up is shown below. Due testing difficulties the test procedure does not replicate the forces in a real-life collision where rotations (yaw) are involved. This has been a long-time concern as the possibility of structural failure in real-life collisions may be increased by rotation and this may not be detected through government side-impact testing.
It is important therefore to look closely at those incidents in real-life side impacts where a structural failure occurs. As police are the only ones who have exclusive access to a collision site, when important and fragile evidence could be documented, it is up to them to gather such safety relevant information. Unfortunately that rarely happens.
On December 11, 2025 London City Police released some reasonably good photos of the collision and also provided the following statement summarizing the collision on Adelaide Street:
“On November 26, 2025, at approximately 6:40 am., a suspect male was operating a 2021 Tesla eastbound on Huron Street, approaching Adelaide Street North. He approached the intersection, where another vehicle was stopped at a red light in their direction. The suspect proceeded to move into the left turn lane before turning right, without making any attempt to stop at the red light. The suspect accelerated to speeds of approximately 130 km/hr in a posted 50 km/hr zone while passing other vehicles travelling southbound on Adelaide Street.
Another driver was operating a pickup truck northbound on Adelaide Street North when the suspect drove his vehicle into oncoming traffic, ultimately colliding with the pickup truck. The entire incident was captured on video surveillance and dashcam footage.
Emergency crews responded to the collision, and both drivers were transported to hospital by paramedic services. The driver of the truck sustained minor injuries, while the suspect driver sustained serious, but non-life-threatening injuries.“
This description suggests the collision occurred in a manner similar to scenarios that occur on rural highways where two vehicles approach each other from opposite directions on a two-lane highway. Such scenarios have been identified over many years on rural highways but rarely in urban environments. In a 1991 research paper (“Practical Problems Related To Side Impact Field Data Accuracy And Its Importance To Side Impact Protection Assessments”) Zygmunt Gorski presented the following figure and text describing such scenarios:
While the above description may appear different from the Adelaide Street collision there are similarities.
In the Adelaide Street collision it is likely that the Tesla was approaching impact from the wrong side of the road and the driver was likely attempting to return to the proper (southbound) side of the road. This is likely because of how the left side of the Tesla was exposed to contact by the Pick-up over an extended distance without rotating away from that contact. Such a result has been observed in many previous collisions. During this extended contact, as the left front of the Pick-up was scraping across the left side of the Tesla, the separation occurred. The mechanism by which this separation developed should be examined but it likely will not.
The travel speed of a vehicle can sometimes be a red herring when examining injury mechanisms. This has been mentioned many times before and it is worth repeating. Although the Tesla may have reached a speed of 130 km/h that does not mean that the severity of the collision was equal to a velocity change of 130 km/h. It is the change-in-velocity that describes the severity of the impact and what forces existed to cause structural separation and injury. While the Tesla eventually came to a stop and therefore lost all its pre-impact velocity, the dissipation of its kinetic energy came from several factors.
Whether the Pick-up truck and the vehicle behind it were travelling forward at the time of impact needs to be determined. If not then all the kinetic energy of the crash would come from the pre-impact velocity of the Tesla and we would begin to add up how that velocity change occurred. Some of it would result from pushing the Pick-up truck backwards and into the front end of the vehicle behind. Some of it would occur from the Tesla moving (sliding?) from impact to rest. And some of it would be lost from producing crush to the Tesla and Pick-up. The only component of this speed loss (velocity change) that would be relevant to injury potential is the crush to the two involved vehicles. This is how the ground (travel) speed of a vehicle may be inaccurate in defining the threat to the vehicle occupants because that ground speed is lost through other forms besides the impact itself. This is how confusion is created when it is announced that there has been a very high ground (travel) speed and therefore persons assume that this must indicate a certain severity of a collision.
For police purposes it is often sufficient to produce evidence that the Tesla driver was reckless due to the Tesla speed and because it was on the wrong side of the road. And there is no need to go further. Yet, from a road safety standpoint, a structural separation like this could occur in a different scenario where the driver of a Tesla was not speeding or riding on the wrong side of the road. Consider the scenario if a young mother was driving a Tesla and transporting her children in the back seat. An alcohol-impaired driver of the Pick-up truck drove into her lane and she reacted by steering to the right, away from the Pick-up. Such a scenario could also cause a similar scraping across the driver’s side of the Tesla and a structural separation might occur. This could place the young children in grave danger due to that separation, yet through no fault of the young mother. Would it be acceptable that we only focus on charging the impaired pick-up truck driver? Surely we should also be interested in understanding how the structural separation developed and if something needs to be done to prevent it in a future collision. So we need to examine these results for the possibility of a future collision to protect occupants from needless injury.
Details of Tesla Collision Event Recordings
Further collision information could be available from the Tesla. It has not been revealed by London City Police what actions they completed to obtain collision event data and how they determined the pre-crash speed of the Tesla. Not all police personnel are aware of how collision data is recorded and stored by different vehicle manufacturers. A recent post by an expert in one of our collision reconstruction chat groups provided this detailed information about Tesla:
“If a Tesla is involved in a “Critical Safety Event” such as a crash which triggered EDR recording or airbag deployment, the Videos are uploaded to Tesla Servers and saved “indefinitely.” Only the Selfie Cam is “Anonymized.” There are times when none of the video is uploaded, but that’s due to connectivity issues or because the crash is catastrophic and a power interruption occurred. When things work “perfectly” the video is saved in the SavedClips folder of the flashdrive and uploaded to the servers. EDR data and CAN signals are saved locally and uploaded Over The Air (OTA) to Tesla Servers. EDR data can be imaged locally; while CAN data is saved on the SD Card, only Tesla can ingest the encrypted CAN signals.Sometimes, when there is a power interruption, the last video clip doesn’t make it to the flashdrive and is lost forever.
Regarding CAN data, that info is saved on the SD card in the main computer and is also uploaded to TeslServers. Again, connectivity issues can prevent the upload. If there are diagnostic issues, CAN data is periodically uploaded to the servers and can be requested by the owner thru a “Data Privacy Request.” Lately, if data is requested for an event that didn’t trigger an EDR event, the request returns no CAN data (unless there is a Diagnostic issue; think “Active Check Engine light”). If a Data Privacy Request isn’t made within 30 days (when there isn’t at least a non-deployment level event) no CAN data is returned. All recorded video is saved in the RecentClips folder of the flash drive until it’s overwritten. Video is never uploaded to servers unless it’s a “Critical Safety Event” as referenced above. Sometimes, “Alerts” can be viewed on the “Service Menu” on the display screen and includes date & time, but that’s password protected and is quickly overwritten. In all these cases, “time is of the essence” in trying to recover Alerts and CAN data.“
An Example For Why Speed Cameras Are Needed
As a further comment, recently the Ontario provincial government of Doug Ford enacted legislation that prohibited the installation of speed cameras by Ontario’s municipalities. Ford indicated that these cameras were being used as a cash grab rather than as a method of improving road safety. To some degree that is likely the case as municipalities allowed third-party owners of the speed cameras to set low thresholds for speed infractions and therefore money was generated for those third parties and to the municipalities. Ford had the opportunity to correct this by allowing speed cameras to exist but to require a higher speed threshold for infractions. But he did not. Even though numerous organizations and individuals indicated that this was a step in the wrong direction Ford ignored those warnings. The Adelaide Street collision is an example of things to come as a result of Ford’s foolish thinking.
The only reason why the reckless Tesla driver was caught is because he caused a very dangerous collision. Police indicated that a dashcam captured the incident and that surveillance videos did the same. But neither of these sources will effectively prevent such dangerous situations until a collision occurs and then it is too late. But speed cameras have the capability of identifying the vehicle involved and, in some instances the driver can be identified. Speed cameras can identify dangerous actions before a collision occurs. And speed cameras can operate 24 hours a day, every day of the week. This is a very large step toward removing dangerous persons off the streets. Ford claims that larger speed limit signs and speed bumps (humps) will do the same but that makes no sense. Studies conducted at Gorski Consulting confirm that this makes no sense. Ford’s belief that greater police enforcement will replace speed cameras is also a falsehood. Police budgets are tight and, even now, there is little attention paid to road safety as compared to the issues of various violence, murders, robberies, etc. Greater police enforcement of vehicle speeds will take police away from these other important activities while being far less efficient than speed cameras.
Many members of the public are against speed cameras likely because many persons have been caught by them and charged even though their elevated speed was not inherently dangerous. It has never been revealed how many of these drivers were given a ticket travelling just slightly over the speed limit. But such a process does not help to form a positive view of speed cameras in the public’s eye. Municipalities failed to ensure that speed camera programs were transparent and this is why many have turned against these programs.
In the view of Gorski Consulting the greatest benefit of speed cameras is that they efficiently detect that small number of dangerous drivers who are at the top of the danger pyramid.
High Severity Fatal Impact of Loading Dock in Sarnia
It is admirable that Sarnia police posted a photo of an unidentified vehicle that reportedly struck a loading dock at Sarnia’s Lambton Mall on Tuesday, December 9, 2025. However no explanation is available about where exactly this occurred or how it occurred.
Generally, loading docks are expected to be in low speed areas where large trucks are able to drive and deliver or pick-up items. There should not be sufficient distance to ramp up enough acceleration to cause a high speed collision. Yet the above photo indicates the striking vehicle had be moving at a considerable speed to cause the visible damage.
When such incidents occur there is an obvious concern that a sudden, unintended acceleration occurred. If the vehicle was of recent vintage it might be equipped with Automatic Emergency Braking (AEB) which would automatically apply braking even if the driver failed to do so. But absolutely no information has been provided as to what type of vehicle was involved.
Is it because digital photos are so costly to create and display that this basic information is not provided to the public? Maybe news reporters are running out of ink in their feather pens to complete their manuscripts?
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