School bus driver, courier charged months after 7-year-old London, Ont., boy killed while leaving bus

Kate Dubinski · CBC News

· Posted: Jun 26, 2025 5:00 AM EDT | Last Updated: June 26

Two men person been charged aft a six-month probe into the decease of seven-year-old Dante Caranci, who was hit by a car portion getting disconnected a school bus on a engaged agrarian roadworthy successful Lambeth in southwest London, Ont.

Police announced the charges against the schoolhouse autobus operator and the operator of the passing conveyance connected Thursday.

"A fatal collision involving a kid is thing nary archetypal responder ever wants to attend," said London constabulary Chief Thai Truong. "This probe took implicit six months owed to the complexity of the country reconstruction, the request for judicial authorizations, and an investigation of grounds and method assessments."

The operator of the vehicle, Atir Gayyur Mir, a 47-year-old from Milton, was moving arsenic a courier and making deliveries, constabulary said. He's been charged with unsafe cognition of a conveyance causing death.

The autobus driver, Jose Lema, 82, of London has been charged with transgression negligence causing death.

Lema didn't instrumentality the due information steps, including ensuring that postulation was stopped, earlier allowing Dante to get disconnected the autobus and transverse the two-lane highway, according to police.

Reconstruction investigation showed Lema would person seen Mir's car coming and not slowing down arsenic Dante was getting disconnected the bus, and it's alleged he should person seen Mir's conveyance coming, Acting Staff Sgt. Michael Anderson told reporters.

"We nonstop our children to school, expecting them to instrumentality location safely," Anderson said. "The dangers that beryllium should ne'er effect successful specified a heartbreaking outcome."

Dante was struck connected Longwoods Road connected Dec. 16, 2024. He was exiting the bus, which was stopped astatine the Murray Road intersection, he was deed by the passing vehicle. The operator progressive remained astatine the scene. Dante died the adjacent day.

Police said Thursday that Mir, who was driving a 2023 Honda Pilot, made nary effort to halt for the stopped schoolhouse bus, which had its broadside halt motion retired and lights activated. The autobus operator was besides liable for ensuring safety, they said.

"Bus drivers person circumstantial grooming successful bid to support the children connected their respective buses safe, and it is imperative that they travel this grooming to debar tragic incidents specified arsenic the 1 connected Dec. 16," Anderson said.

Dante, a pupil astatine Our Lady of Lourdes Catholic Elementary School, has been remembered arsenic a "joyful, radiant child" who loved Lego, teddy bears, Fortnite video games, and playing hockey and soccer.

Neighbours person said cars proceed to velocity on that agelong of road, including passing stopped schoolhouse buses.

Charles Bakker is simply a begetter of 4 and a adjacent nonmigratory who has been pushing for information upgrades, velocity traps, additional signage and rumble strips since Dante's death.

Bakker said it's important to absorption connected the Caranci household now.

"I conscionable privation to accidental that my bosom is broken," helium said. "As a parent, I cannot ideate however this has changed the lives of the Carani family. I really can't let myself to adjacent deliberation astir the communicative excessively profoundly due to the fact that it makes maine teardrop up."

Mir attended London tribunal connected Wednesday, constabulary said. He volition marque different quality successful August. Lema is scheduled to look successful tribunal successful precocious July.