CALGARY — After getting tossed off a party bus for unruly behaviour, a man started banging on the side of the vehicle and was run over when it pulled away Saturday night.
Police said the man, believed to be in his 20s, was on the bus with his girlfriend and was drunk when he was kicked off about 10:15 p.m.
As the bus pulled away, he slipped on the icy curb and fell under it.
The man was rushed to hospital in serious condition but police said he is expected to survive.
Even companies that operate party buses frequently deal with drunks looking to have a good time, it’s rare for someone to get so out of hand they’re asked to leave, said Tom Malin, owner of Party Machine, which was not involved in the incident.
“The clientele we have is extremely respectful,” he said. “With my insurance policy, we’re not permitted to just pull over and kick someone off the bus, we’re required to try as hard as we can to keep them on the bus.
“In the event they need to be removed from the bus, that’s when we have the police involved.”
In his seven years in the business, Malin said he has transported tens of thousands of people and has never had to eject a customer.
“It’s extremely rare and will get some media coverage so it will be a black mark for sure, but in the bigger picture, party buses do a lot of great things by transporting people who are intoxicated.
“But not every party bus company has the same kind of clientele, some companies are rowdier than others.”