Remi Cormier inquest is over and lets pray that the Cormier Family will move on with their lives.
It’s going to be very difficult for them but for their son Justin sake?
They must move on and they will.
The inquest was very emotional.
Even for this bystander from the Capital it was very emotinal.
The jury came out with their recommendations and here they are-
The three-man, two-woman jury in the coroner's inquest into the April 6, 2004 death of Remi Cormier ruled yesterday that the case was an accident.
After about three hours of deliberation, they submitted six recommendations:
1. That a second crossing arm be installed on the left side of school buses so children crossing the road go out around both it and the existing right-hand crossing gate, making them more visible to the driver.
2. That every bus driver receive a description of his or her route, stops, the names of the children he or she is transporting, and that the list be updated and verified each semester.
3. That a bus monitor accompany the driver whenever ever there is a supplemental driver or a new driver, for up to two weeks. The monitor would be responsible for safe boarding and disembarking.
4. That the provincial regulations governing school bus operation be changed so that school bus stops are clearly marked with a sign, and that no pupil be loaded or discharged anywhere except at the sign.
5. That the "Dinobus" safety education program, aimed at kindergarten and elementary school students, be enhanced to be more interactive for children, and that a refresher course be given to the students within two weeks of their Christmas break.
6. That driver training be enhanced to emphasize bus stop issues, awareness of dangers, and human factors like the effects of stress, fatigue, and distraction on a driver.
The recommendations, which are not binding, will be forwarded to provincial Chief Coroner Dianne Kelly, and a response will be published in the Office of the Chief Coroner's
Now? The question is this? Will the Department of Education follow up on these recommendations? While chatting with the Father a couple of weeks ago? He told me that it could take at least 10 years for the Government to act.
Well? I got news for the Cormier Family.
I’m in Fredericton and I will make certain that the Minister of Education Madeleine Dube knows and I will remind her every instance that I bumped into her.
After I’m done? She’ll say - My god? He was driving me nuts on the issue of Ritalin and now this????
You see? This is one advantage of living in the Capital.
I bump into these Ministers on many occasions. A person living in the rural areas will be lucky to meet these elected officials once a year.
I promise to remind these Ministers of these recommendations.
Even if the Government changes Party? I’ll do the same! I am a man of my word!<
That’s the reason that I am in such much trouble all the time.>
But there was one act that bothered me yesterday.
Remember when I told you that the school bus driver never sent the family a letter of apology?
I couldn’t believe what the Father was telling me.
Well? Yesterday the bus driver appeared and he never even said to the Family - Listen, I am truly sorry about what happen to your son.
I wonder why? The mother Nadine was sobbing all through the inquest and even when the Bus driver was on the stand!
Don’t the guy have a conscious?
I’m telling you one thing right now! I have known Mike < father > since he was a kid and he doesn’t mind a good little old fashion fist fight.
I’m certain that it took a lot for him to remain calm, cool and collective.
The man that killed his son < accident > was on the stand and not even giving a apology to the Family????
That’s truly disgusting! Well?
It’s over and I heard there could be a civil suit against the Education Department. The only sad part on this one is that once again the Family will have to go through this emotional affair.
There’s only so much tears a person can give!
Well? They were strong and should be congratulated for a job very well done.
Remi’s death won’t be in vain and it’s time to move on.
Remi is in God’s hand so therefore everything is ok!!!
The Family will one day once again have little Remi in their arms but it won’t be in this lifetime but the good part about this that it will be for eternity!!!!!
HERE’S A FEW STORY IN THE LOCAL NEWSPAPERS ON THIS AWAFUL SITUATION!!!!
=======================================
Times & Transcript | Provincial News
As published on page A3 on July 8, 2005
Boy's school bus death an accident, inquest rules
Bus driver thought he was doing a good deed by stopping on wrong side of road to pick up young student, last day of coroner's inquest told
(FILE PHOTO)
Rémi Cormier was killed on April 6, 2004, when he crossed the road to board his school bus.
RHONDA WHITTAKER
Times & Transcript Staff
Bus driver France Cormier thought he was doing a good deed for a little boy.
But his decision not to make the student wait a few extra seconds in a light snowfall ultimately led to the death of the boy's brother, five-year-old Rémi Cormier.
France Cormier gave the final testimony yesterday in the provincial coroner's inquest on the fatal accident. The driver and child are not related.
The jury ruled yesterday that Rémi's death was an accident, and while they agreed that school buses are safe, they released six recommendations on improving bus safety.
Rémi Cormier, a kindergarten student at Père Edgar-T.-LeBlanc School in Grand Barachois, was killed on April 6, 2004, when he crossed to the east side of Cap-Bimet Road to board his bus and was struck by the bus' right front and rear wheels.
Recommendations
The three-man, two-woman jury in the coroner's inquest into the April 6, 2004 death of Remi Cormier ruled yesterday that the case was an accident.
After about three hours of deliberation, they submitted six recommendations:
1. That a second crossing arm be installed on the left side of school buses so children crossing the road go out around both it and the existing right-hand crossing gate, making them more visible to the driver.
2. That every bus driver receive a description of his or her route, stops, the names of the children he or she is transporting, and that the list be updated and verified each semester.
3. That a bus monitor accompany the driver whenever ever there is a supplemental driver or a new driver, for up to two weeks. The monitor would be responsible for safe boarding and disembarking.
4. That the provincial regulations governing school bus operation be changed so that school bus stops are clearly marked with a sign, and that no pupil be loaded or discharged anywhere except at the sign.
5. That the "Dinobus" safety education program, aimed at kindergarten and elementary school students, be enhanced to be more interactive for children, and that a refresher course be given to the students within two weeks of their Christmas break.
6. That driver training be enhanced to emphasize bus stop issues, awareness of dangers, and human factors like the effects of stress, fatigue, and distraction on a driver.
The recommendations, which are not binding, will be forwarded to provincial Chief Coroner Dianne Kelly, and a response will be published in the Office of the Chief Coroner's annual report.
He and his older brother, Justin, then nine, had always waited at the foot of their driveway and boarded the bus from the west side of the street, without needing to cross.
France Cormier, a 51-year-old spare driver with a Grade 8 education and a pristine driver's abstract, was only on his second day of the new route when the accident happened.
At the inquest, the coroner's legal counsel, Luc Labonté, asked France Cormier why he stopped on the east side of the road, when he knew that the bus stop was on the west side.
"Because it was melting snow. I thought I was not going to let them get wet. There was no traffic, so I would pick them up there," he replied in French, through a translator.
"I like the children to arrive at school looking tidy."
There are no rules that drivers have to stop on one side of the road or the other, he said.
France Cormier confirmed that the week before the accident, the regular driver showed him the route and the location of the stops. He said he did his pre-trip inspection on the bus before he left that morning, and that the bus' mirrors were properly adjusted to his sightline.
He told the jury that on the morning of April 6, he noticed a "little fellow" in a car in the driveway of his bus stop at 54 Cap-Bimet Road. Justin, meanwhile, waited at the end of the same driveway to board the bus.
On the previous afternoon, France Cormier had dropped off only Justin during his first run on the route, because Rémi went to a babysitter's after school. That's why France Cormier didn't know he had to pick up the tot in the morning along with Justin.
He said after Justin boarded that morning, he checked the bus' mirrors and closed the door, which retracted the bus's right-hand crossing gate at the front.
"I never saw him, I never saw him there, and usually I see what's going on," he said, dabbing at his eyes with a tissue.
"It doesn't explain stuff, but I did not see him."
He also said he didn't hear any warning cries from the children, contrary to what Justin Cormier told police in his statement.
France Cormier told the jury that Rémi's death is still a shock to him. Since the accident, his health has declined.
"There are nightmares," he said wearily, "and things are not the same."
During a break in the hearing, Al Breau, Rémi's step-grandfather, said there was something missing in France Cormier's testimony.
"I think any parent wants to hear 'sorry,'" Breau said.
Following the inquest's adjournment, Ron Arsenault, training co-ordinator with the provincial Department of Education, said the department needs time to decide whether or not it will adopt any of the jury's suggestions.
"I must assure you that we will be taking a serious look at each and every one," he said.
It was clear that Rémi's family is still reeling from last spring's devastation on Cap-Bimet Road.
Earlier yesterday, Rémi's mother, Nadine Cormier, said she didn't want her youngest son to be remembered as the little boy who ran in front of his school bus, but as a loveable little boy and the victim of a preventable tragedy.
"I'm very satisfied with the recommendations of the jury, and I support them," Nadine Cormier said.
"Yet I'm still returning home with a torn heart."
School bus driver explains role in tragedy Last updated Jul 7 2005 04:11 PM ADT
CBC News The man behind the wheel of the school bus that ran over five-year-old Rémi Cormier last year in Cap Bimet says he simply didn't see the little boy.
France Cormier told a coroner's inquest Thursday that he checked his mirrors and started off slowly after Rémi's nine-year-old brother, Justin, got on board.
Rémi Cormier
He said he had no idea that Rémi was nearby.
Moments later, he felt a "slight little thing," but he didn't know anything was seriously wrong.
Cormier said it wasn't until he'd turned the bus around that he discovered that he'd run over a child.
Rémi had suffered a massive head injury and was killed instantly.
The accident happened April 6, 2004, on a residential street in Cap Bimet, a small village in southeastern New Brunswick.
Nadine Cormier with a family friend
Cormier had been working as a school bus driver in the area for two years. He had a clean record and his training was up to date.
• FROM JULY 7, 2005: School official admits bus driver's error
But as the inquest had been told earlier, he hadn't followed the usual procedures on the morning of the accident.
For the first time, he had stopped on a different side of the street in front of the Cormier home.
The driver said the weather was bad that day and he felt there would be less chance of Justin getting wet if he parked on the opposite side of the street.
Normally, he would have driven to the end of the street, turned around, and then stopped the bus directly in front of the house. But as Justin was already waiting by the side of the road, he said he decided to pick him up before making the turn-around.
Again, he said he didn't see Rémi in the area.
Testifying in French, Cormier spoke with a soft voice, wiping away a tear at one point. Asked how he felt about the accident, he responded simply that he felt very bad about it. He added that he was still in shock from the accident and had frequent nightmares about it.
The boy's mother, Nadine Cormier, cried throughout his testimony.
Parts of his story contradicted things she had said about the tragedy, which she witnessed from the window of her home.
Cormier said the driver would have seen Rémi, if he'd only looked ahead before putting the bus in gear.
On Tuesday, the jury was given a tour of a bus identical to the one that hit Rémi. The jury was able to see that the mirrors on the hood gave the driver a complete view of the front and sides of the vehicle.
The driver was the final witness in the inquest.
The jury is now considering recommendations to help prevent another tragedy involving New Brunswick's school buses.
NB Telegraph-Journal | Provincial News
As published on page A3 on July 8, 2005
Dead boy's mother satisfied with inquest
Education Dept. will review jury's recommendations
(Andrew Philips/Telegraph-Journal)
Michel Cormier hugs his wife Nadine Thursday after the conclusion of a four-day coroner's inquest into the death of their son, Remi.
BY ANDREW PHILIPS
Telegraph-Journal
The mother of a five-year-old boy struck and killed by his school bus last year says she's satisfied with a coroner's inquest that ended with six recommendations aimed at improving bus safety.
"I don't want him to be remembered as the little boy who ran in front of a school bus, but as the lovable, little boy he was and sadly the victim of a preventable tragedy," Nadine Cormier said, her soft voice thick with emotion outside Moncton's court building Thursday.
"I'm satisfied with the recommendations and support them, yet I'm still returning home with a torn heart."
Mrs. Cormier said she initially pushed for the inquest, which heard from 23 witnesses over four days, for her two sons, but mainly for Remi, who died a stone's throw from his Cap-Bimet home.
"My family and I appreciate all that has been done this week," she said.
The recommendations of the coroner's jury range from equipping school buses with an extra crossing gate at the front, to providing new and substitute drivers with monitors to help ensure students get embark and depart buses properly, and that no one is still near the vehicle when it accelerates.
France Cormier
"It's very obvious our five jurors have taken their responsibilities very seriously," deputy chief coroner Gloria Merrithew said as she thanked the jury for its work. "I'm confident your recommendations have been thoroughly discussed."
Ron Arsenault, a transportation supervisor with the provincial Education Department, said the department will review the recommendations, but said it is too early to say much more than that.
"We will look at each and every element of the recommendations," Mr. Arsenault said, noting the department would likely study the recommendations in consultation with provincial school districts. "Our system is very secure right now."
Remi was on his way to kindergarten in nearby Grand-Barachois when the incident occurred. An RCMP investigation ruled out any criminal charges against the driver.
Thursday was the first time the family had seen the driver involved in the incident.
What the jury recommended
Here is a list of recommendations made by a coroner's jury investigating the death of five-year-old Remi Cormier, who was struck and killed by his school bus last year.
• Equip buses with a second crossing arm on driver's side so students don't walk near the front of vehicles.
• Within two weeks of a new school year, provide drivers with bus stops and times, along with the names of students getting on and off at each stop.
• Hire monitors to help substitute and new drivers ensure students get off and on buses properly, while also checking to see if anyone is still near the vehicle before it accelerates.
• Ensure bus stops are clearly marked.
• Enhance the Dinobus school bus safety program by making it more interactive.
• During initial driver training, provide a list of bus stop safety, potential dangers and also place better emphasis on human factors such as fatigue, stress and potential distractions.
France Cormier, who was driving the bus that fateful April morning, declined to comment on the incident and was quickly whisked away by his lawyer after testifying.
But family spokesman Al Breau said he was surprised there was no apology offered even though the family is reportedly involved in a civil suit against the district and province.
"Being a human being, it doesn't matter if there are court proceedings or not," Mr. Breau said.
April 6 marked only the second day Mr. Cormier, who is no relation to Remi, had driven the route. The previous day, both Cormier boys got a ride to school with their father while only Justin made the return trip.
During his testimony, Mr. Cormier said he didn't notice Remi, adding that he checked his mirrors after the boy's older brother Justin, who is now 11, boarded the bus.
"I never saw anything to the side or front," testified Mr. Cormier, 51, who said that while he had a route description, including times and stops, he didn't have a list of student names or how many would get on the bus at each stop.
Mr. Cormier said he only stopped on the opposite side of the road that morning, rather than in front of the Cormiers' house as route information specified, because he wanted to get Justin onto the bus and out of inclement weather.
There were also stark differences between Mr. Cormier's testimony and a statement Justin gave police relating to the events that ended in Remi's death.
While Justin didn't testify in person, he said in his statement other children on the bus asked the driver to stop, but he continued. However, Mr. Cormier, who received his bus-driver training in 2000, said he didn't hear them say anything to that effect.
As well, Mr. Cormier said although he has first-aid training and had previously driven an ambulance, he stayed on the bus following the accident because he wasn't supposed to leave the students alone.
He said the past year has been extremely difficult and he has also noticed his health diminish.
"I went a long while without driving, then I drove for a week, but I haven't driven since," Mr. Cormier said. "It's hard to get through something like this and there are nightmares."
