Alcohol was not a factor but police haven't ruled out distracted driving or speed as potential causes of a collision early Tuesday morning involving an OC Transpo bus.

The crash on Meadowlands Drive resulted in life-threatening injuries for a 21-year-old female passenger of the other vehicle.

Paramedics treated three 21-year-old women who were inside the vehicle at the time of the crash. The front seat passenger was unconscious with grave head injuries, paramedics said, and she was trapped in the car for 20 minutes.

Firefighters extricated the woman and paramedics took her to The Ottawa Hospital's Civic campus where she continues to battle serious injuries.

The driver of the car suffered from neck and back pain and she was treated for possible spinal injuries, while a rear seat passenger suffered possible fractured ribs, plus neck and back pain and possible spinal injuries.

They were both taken to hospital in stable condition.

Passenger recounts crash

Leo Selin was a passenger on the bus at the time. He said after the collision, the OC Transpo driver rushed out of the bus to calm down victims in the car, one of whom was partially ejected from the window.

"Half of her body was out the window and the glass completely shattered," said Selin. "But she was hanging out the window."

Selin said he directed traffic until authorities arrived.

Craig Watson of the Amalgamated Transit Union said the bus driver is a veteran of more than 20 years and knew the route well.

"He's very familiar with the route and traffic patterns on the route," Watson said.

Nobody on the OC Transpo bus, Route 86 going to Baseline station, was hurt and police said the driver of the bus would not be charged. But police are still trying to determine how the car, travelling eastbound on Meadowlands, veered into oncoming traffic.

Meadowlands was closed for several hours between Indian Road and Viewmount but it reopened at about 5:30 a.m. Tuesday.