Driver charged after Nova Scotia senior left in bus for more than 7 hours

Frances Willick · CBC News

· Posted: Jun 23, 2025 9:38 AM EDT | Last Updated: 5 hours ago

The girl of an 81-year-old antheral who was near unsocial wrong a nationalist transit conveyance for astir 7½ hours says she has galore questions astir what led to the incident.

Kristen Giles says her father, Donald McKeen, visited her astatine her location successful Oakfield, N.S., connected June 11.

He was brought there, arsenic helium is each Wednesday, by the East Hants Community Rider, a transit work operated by the non-profit East Hants Community Learning Association.

After their visit, the operator came to prime up McKeen conscionable earlier 3 p.m. to instrumentality him backmost to his residence astatine the Magnolia Continuing Care Community, a semipermanent attraction location successful Enfield, astir 8 kilometres away.

But helium ne'er made it there. Giles got a telephone telephone from the Magnolia staff at 10:30 p.m.

"Don's not here," Giles said the unit subordinate told her. "He was to person gone with a household subordinate for a visit. Do you cognize erstwhile he's coming back?"

She told them helium had visited her but had boarded the transit conveyance hours earlier.

Father recovered trapped successful vehicle

Giles waited a fewer minutes, then hopped successful the car with her hubby to look for McKeen. On the way, she said her hubby asked, "'Could helium inactive beryllium successful the van?' I said, 'No, there's nary way.'"

They decided to halt astatine the Community Rider parking batch conscionable to marque sure.

When they got there, her hubby shone his telephone airy done the model of the conveyance and saw McKeen's empty wheelchair. 

Using a rock, they smashed the model unfastened and recovered McKeen lying connected the level betwixt the seats. He does not person the usage of his legs and has constricted spot successful his arms, said Giles.

She said her begetter had been capable to undo his seatbelt but had fallen to the crushed and was incapable to unfastened the doorway oregon extricate himself.

"He was pinned. There was nary imaginable mode that helium could get out. None.… It was 26 degrees that time and helium was locked successful that van for 7½ hours," Giles said.

Health has deteriorated

"When I got him, I said, 'Dad, you're safe. You're safe. We're here.' And helium says, 'He near maine here. He conscionable near me.' And Dad says helium seen him locomotion away."

RCMP, the occurrence section and paramedics soon arrived and took McKeen to the hospital. Giles said he was dehydrated and had unit sores from lying on the level of the vehicle.

McKeen has since been released from hospital and is backmost astatine the Magnolia. Giles said his wellness has deteriorated, arsenic 1 of his legs has swollen and he tin nary longer provender himself, wheel himself astir successful his wheelchair or beryllium up connected his own.

"He's mislaid the small spot of prime of beingness that helium had," Giles said. "It's heart-wrenching."

Bus operator charged

RCMP announced Monday a man is facing charges successful transportation with the incident. A 64-year-old antheral from Stanley was charged connected June 19 with transgression negligence causing bodily harm and nonaccomplishment to supply the necessities of life.

Giles confirmed the sanction of the antheral who was charged is the sanction of the autobus driver.

In a connection posted connected its website, the East Hants Community Learning Association said it is reviewing the circumstances of the incidental internally and "out of respect for privateness and owed to the progressive investigation," it would not supply further details.

Many questions unanswered

"It conscionable seems similar the shot has been dropped connected truthful galore levels," Giles said.

She wants to cognize wherefore the operator failed to driblet her begetter off, particularly erstwhile helium was the lone rider connected the bus. She besides wonders wherefore unit astatine the Magnolia did not announcement his lack for truthful long, since helium ever arrives backmost aft her visits astatine the aforesaid time.

"When helium wasn't determination for supper, they ne'er called. When helium wasn't determination for his evening pills, they ne'er called," she said.

Her begetter besides requires assistance to get into bed, and unit didn't telephone erstwhile helium wasn't determination astatine bedtime.

"Why did it instrumentality truthful agelong for idiosyncratic to miss him?"

CBC News has contacted East Hants Community Rider, the East Hants Community Learning Association, the Magnolia Continuing Care Community and the institution that owns the Magnolia, the Stevens Group of Companies.

This communicative volition beryllium updated if and erstwhile CBC News receives a response.

In a quality release, the Advocates for the Care of the Elderly (ACE), a unpaid radical that advocates for improvements successful the semipermanent attraction sector, said it was appalled by the incident.

"It boggles the caput that the semipermanent attraction unit could miss noticing the lack of this nonmigratory during repast times and medicine rounds," said ACE seat Gary MacLeod.

The enactment called for the state to connection McKeen a spot successful a antithetic semipermanent attraction residence and to motorboat an investigation, and for constabulary to behaviour a thorough investigation.