Students at a Woodbridge high school are grieving the death of a young classmate following a tragic accident on Thursday.
The victim has been identified by friends as 16-year-old Catherine Tran. She was hit by a transit bus and pinned under the vehicle at around 3:45pm on Pine Valley Drive between Langstaff and Highway 7.
The road was closed for several hours while police investigated.
Tran was a student at Woodbridge College High School, where flags were at half mast Friday.
Friends and classmates who witnessed the tragedy were also left reliving the traumatic moments.
"She got off the bus ... she just ran across," said a friend named Anthony. "I went to change seats and the next thing I know she was struck ... it's very difficult, I cried a bit this morning."
Witness Jackie Pansino kneeled by the teen while EMS workers rushed to the scene, trying to comfort the badly-injured victim.
"I was talking to her saying, 'help is on the way,'" Pansino recalled. "She was just in pain ... she just faded away from us."
Tran is described as a popular, outgoing student.
"It's a very sombre school," admitted Woodbridge College Principal Deborah Conrad-Knight. "This is a tragic accident and it's left everyone feeling quite sad."
The bus driver was so distraught he was taken to hospital following the fatal accident. There's no word on whether charges will be laid.