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Trauma surgeon Dr. Jacinthe Lampron was on her way to pick up her daughter from daycare Friday afternoon when she heard the news on her car radio: A bus had crashed into Westboro station; many were injured.

Lampron called the The Ottawa Hospital and was told it was about to declare Code Orange — a code reserved for disasters and other major events with a significant number of serious injuries.

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The last Code Orange had been declared in September 2013 when a VIA Rail train collided with an OC Transpo bus.

Lampron turned around and headed straight back to the hospital. Like dozens of other doctors, nurses, social workers, administrators and housekeeping staff, she converged on the Civic campus just after 4 p.m. to assume her role in the rapid and complex transformation of the hospital.

The hospital, which moments before had been in the process of reducing staff and closing operating rooms for the weekend, suddenly had to prepare for a major influx of trauma cases.