A New Brunswick bus driver has been arrested for impaired driving after a school bus left the road in Chipman, N.B.
The RCMP received a report shortly after 5 p.m. Wednesday that a school bus had left Lilloet Drive and ended up in the ditch.
Video obtained by CTV Atlantic appears to show smoke billowing from the school bus as it attempts to drive out of the ditch.
When police arrived on scene, the bus was already being towed from the scene.
Police say the driver was the only person on the bus at the time, but the incident is raising questions about safety.
Officials with the Anglophone West School District will not say if children had been on the bus earlier but the RCMP do say the last child was dropped off thirty minutes before the crash.
The 63-year-old man was arrested for impaired driving at a residence on Maple Avenue a short time later.
New Brunswick RCMP spokeswoman Cpl. Jullie Rogers-Marsh said the original call was for the school bus in the ditch. After police arrived, they were able to gather some additional information.
A few residents in the neighbourhood shared what they saw.
“I came out onto the road and saw he was in the ditch,” said Christine Webber. “The wheels were up off the ground.”
The man has been released on a promise to appear in Burton Provincial Court on Sept. 23.
The allegation has not been tested in court. Police say the man's driver's licence has been suspended for 90 days. The school district will not say how long the driver has been working for them, citing privacy concerns.
With files from CTV Atlantic’s Jessica Ng.
