Fatal bus crash motivates residents to donate blood

Laura Sandvold was looking for some way to help out following Friday's deadly bus crash.

So she decided donating blood was the best thing she could do.

"It doesn't take that long to donate," she said. "Everybody has blood, and that's one thing you can do to help."

Three people were killed and an additional 23 were injured when a double-decker bus smashed into a bus shelter at Westboro station on Friday afternoon.

While Sandvold doesn't take OC Transpo route 269 — the one involved in the crash — she said she does take a similar route from downtown to Kanata's Bridlewood area.

"I can't do anything about the crash," Sandvold said. "But I can donate blood, and I wanted to do something."

Glenna Gosewich, territory manager in donor relations with Canadian Blood Services in Ottawa, said the agency had a high turnout rate for appointments on Saturday, the day following the crash.

"Everybody who had an appointment showed up. And then a few people who understood that there could have been an increased need showed up to donate blood [as well]," she said.

"Ottawa is a wonderful city and the community always responds like this."

Gosewich encouraged people to continue to donate, saying that every extra pint helps.

"We hope that our regular donors will continue to donate just as they normally do. Anyone who's thinking about donating for the first time — we would love to have them come in."

Appointments can be made online or over the phone, Gosewich said.