A Baystate Health obstetrician was killed Sunday in Vancouver, British Columbia, after he and two family members were struck by a charter bus.
Dr. Michael P. Plevyak, 49, a 15-year-old girl and an elderly man were standing near Burrard Street and Canada Place around 10 a.m. Sunday when a charter bus traveling at low speeds collided with a parked vehicle. The bus also struck Plevyak and two of his family members, according to a statement from the Vancouver Police Department.
Plevyak died in the incident. The 15-year-old girl sustained minor injuries. The elderly man suffered serious injuries and remained hospitalized Tuesday, according to police.
A statement from police identified all victims as related and from Massachusetts. Plevyak, of East Longmeadow, was vacationing with his family, according to police and Baystate Health.
Plevyak worked in the Obstetrics Gynecology Department at Baystate Health in the maternal-fetal medicine division. He was an assistant program director in the obstetrics-gynecology residency program and an assistant professor of obstetrics-gynecology at Tufts University School of Medicine.
In a statement from Dr. Andrew W. Artenstein, Baystate Health chief physician executive and chief academic officer and Baystate Medical Practices president, said the hospital was deeply saddened by Plevyak’s death.
“Dr. Plevyak leaves a legacy here as a beloved physician and educator, whose good work and commitment to his patients and colleagues will be sorely missed,” the statement read. “Our deepest sympathies go out to his family during this difficult time.”
A Facebook post from the Vancouver Trolley Company said it was one of their tourist buses that was involved with the crash. The post said the company was deeply saddened by the crash.
“Honestly it’s shaken us in a way we could never have been prepared for,” the post read.
The company wrote that the bus driver had been working with the company for seven years and had an excellent driving record. He is cooperating fully with the investigation, which is ongoing with the Vancouver Police Department’s Collision Investigation Team.