Driver left man in distress

Photo: CTV

A Vancouver woman says a bus driver just drove away after she sought help tending to a man in medical distress at a Downtown Eastside bus stop.

The bus rider, named Robyn, asked the driver to call 911 when she saw the man apparently having an overdose near East Hastings Street and Jackson Avenue.

"He didn't appear to be moving (or) breathing, and it looked like a pretty serious situation," she told CTV. "I made a split-second decision that this person needed help.

"The bus driver, if anything, seemed inconvenienced and frustrated that I had brought it to their attention."

When she stepped off the bus to check on the unconscious man, the driver pulled away.

TransLink has launched an investigation into the incident.

Spokesperson Jill Drews said drivers are trained to call dispatch when they see someone in trouble, and that operators will call emergency services.

Another bus driver did call the dispatch centre, Drews said. 

Before paramedics showed up, a passer-by administered a naloxone shot, and the man regained consciousness, Robyn says.

– with files from CTV Vancouver