It was a frantic cry for help that caused OC Transpo driver Michel Laurin to spring into action.
"I saw this young girl on the ground, she was full of blood in the face and neck and she had welts from being beaten," said Laurin.
He was on his way to start his shift at the Hurdman bus station when, all of a sudden, the afternoon of October 4th became one he wouldn't forget.
He said a man was sitting in a car not far from where he spotted the woman near Riverside Drive, but ducked out of view when he looked over in that direction.
"I heard the engine start, he put it in gear…I yelled at the girl to come to me, to get out of the way."
Laurin said he thought the man was trying to flee the scene or run the woman over.
He said the woman told him she was sexually assaulted and robbed.
Laurin said he was able to write down the licence plate and gave it to police. He said when emergency crews arrived, the woman told them she did not know the man but got in the car with him and drove to the location where the alleged assault took place. As far as he knows, no one has been arrested.
Ottawa Councillor Katherine Hobbs shared Laurin's story on Twitter after meeting him while he was driving the bus. The transit union vice-president said it is an important one to tell in light of several negative stories which exist about OC Transpo drivers.
"They're more than just a bus driver; they're a hockey coach, soccer coach, they're members of the community," said Amalgamated Transit Union vice-president Mike Aldrich.
Laurin received an OC Transpo safety award earlier this week for assisting the woman in need.
With a report from CTV Ottawa's Katie Griffin
