Cameron Hopkins initially refused to accept the honour saying he was only doing his job

TTC bus operator honoured for rendering timely aid to seriously hurt man; Cameron sets fine example for his co-workers

Francis Cardoso


6:30 p.m.

The traffic light turned green at an intersection.

I began striding down the road to catch an east-bound bus on my way home.

Little did I realize that destiny had something else in store for me.

I suddenly felt a heavy blow in my chest as I began spinning before landing in a partially-snow covered traffic island.

A Cadillac Escalade had struck me in what can be described as a hit-and-run case.

With serious head injuries, I lay in a pool of blood as dazed passersby halted in their tracks to take a stock of the situation. None stepped forward to check on my well-being.

A TTC bus operator, who was at the wheel, and saw the incident unfold, immediately rushed to my rescue. In a swift move, he offloaded the passengers, and took me inside his bus before nursing me.

He then called 911 before securing all the evidence at the scene. He stuffed my shattered wrist-watch and eyewear in my blood-soaked jacket pocket.

Such was the impact of the hit that my head began reeling. But I could recognize the familiar face of the operator, Cameron Hopkins, who was a regular on the route.

Unassuming and polite, Cameron and I often exchanged pleasantries on less busy hours. Cameron was sitting beside me assuring me that everything would be fine.

From there on, I lost consciousness only to wake up in the hospital to find two constables by my side. They began their probe in the right earnest.

As the news of the accident spread, worried friends and relatives thronged my bedside, and began comforting me.I knew I had cheated death. Simply put, it was a miracle, nothing short of it.    

I was finally discharged, but the pain was terrible and rendered me incapacitated for quite some time.

For me, TTC had assumed a new meaning. In my mind, I rebranded TTC as Takes Timely Care. I wanted to make the Toronto SUN shine on Cameron but by then the story had gone cold.

I then decided to get in touch with TTC. I shot an email to the customer service.

In my email, I explained the chain of events that transpired on that fateful day. I also thanked Cameron for providing me timely assistance. I got an acknowledgement from TTC saying they would look into the matter.

           Frost (R) speaks at the award ceremony while Cameron and Gigi look on.

I then began frantically looking for Cameron to thank him personally. However, my persistent efforts to find him drew blank. Upon enquiring, I was told that his term on my route had ended, and he was plying the bus on another route.

Then, one day, I got a call from Cameron’s supervisor saying that TTC had decided to honour him for his good deed. She then asked me if I would be able to do a presentation on the day of the felicitation.

I said I would be more than happy to do so. Several weeks passed and I didn’t hear back. Then, after several months, I got another call from the same supervisor saying that the ceremony had to be called off due to unavoidable circumstances.

She again renewed her invitation to me, and I delightfully accepted it. Then months passed and nothing happened. I began to wonder what was going on, and blamed the management for dilly dallying.

On a chilly afternoon, I was waiting for the bus, and as the bus pulled up at the stop, I saw the Cameron at the wheel.

I let out a yelp of joy. I shook hands with him, and identified myself. He remembered the incident and recalled some scenes. He was happy to see me back on my feet.

Then I asked him why the felicitation ceremony didn’t materialize. Cameron said he had declined to be part of the event for personal reasons.

Upon pressing him, Cameron said: “I just did what I am supposed to do, and I didn’t want to make a big deal about it.”

In response, I said: “I am not trying to glorify you, but only giving credit where it’s due. You have earned the honour, and you cannot turn away from it.”

As the conversation went on, I managed to drive home my key message.

Cameron after a brief pause, said: “If you feel strongly about my role in the incident, then I will speak to my supervisor, and see what she has to say.”

Finally the award ceremony was confirmed by Gigi Porteous, Assistant Superintendent at Eglington Division.

At the event, Cameron was presented an award by Gigi in the presence of Bill Frost, General Superintendent at Bus Transportation.

In his presentation, this writer recounted how Cameron had come to his rescue, and capped off his speech saying: “You drove into my heart with your noble action,” as a thunderous applause greeted him. 

More than a year on, the scars have not healed yet. I still see red at the traffic light, even when it’s green. I now embed with other road crossers, and ensure that all vehicles have come to a complete halt.

Note: The writer spoke to Cameron, and others to put together this article.