Bus Collision in Canada Claims 15 Lives as Investigation Unfolds

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According to the Canadian police, a tragic accident involving a bus carrying seniors on their way to a casino resulted in the loss of 15 lives. After reviewing video footage of the incident, law enforcement officials confirmed that the bus did not have the right of way during the collision with a semi-trailer truck.

Superintendent Rob Lasson of the Royal Canadian Mounted Police revealed that witness statements from passing motorists supported the findings captured by the dash cam of the semi-truck involved. “The video clearly shows that the bus entered the roadway where the semi-truck had the right of way,” stated Lasson, acknowledging the unknown reasons behind the bus’s actions.

Lasson mentioned that due to the bus driver’s hospitalization, authorities had not been able to interview them. Conversely, the truck driver had been discharged from the hospital. As the investigation remains ongoing, Lasson emphasized that assigning blame was not the current focus, and the police were also considering the possibility of mechanical issues with the truck.

The identification process for the 15 deceased individuals has not yet been completed, but it was presumed that those who did not sustain injuries had tragically passed away. The victims’ ages ranged from 58 to 88, with six men and nineteen women among them. The group of seniors, hailing from rural Dauphin, Manitoba, had embarked on a day-trip when the accident occurred on the Trans-Canada Highway.

Health officials revealed that six out of the ten surviving seniors were in critical condition, while the remaining four were also hospitalized, predominantly suffering from head injuries and broken bones. Dr. Shawn Young, the chief operating officer of Health Sciences Centre Winnipeg, noted the potential challenges faced by this elderly group in their recovery process.

Chief Medical Examiner John Younes explained that due to severe facial trauma, visual identification of the deceased was not feasible, prompting the use of scientific methods such as fingerprints, dental records, and even artificial hip serial numbers or DNA, if necessary. Younes expressed the hope of completing post-mortem examinations by Monday and finalizing identifications by the following week.

In Dauphin, where most of the bus passengers resided, flags were flown at half-staff to honor the victims. Sandra Kaleta, associated with the Dauphin Active Living Centre, personally knew some of the individuals on the bus and shared her concerns about their well-being. The anticipation and excitement of the rare casino outing were palpable among the group, which had not occurred since the onset of the COVID-19 pandemic.

Prime Minister Justin Trudeau announced that the flag at Ottawa’s Peace Tower on Parliament Hill would be lowered as a tribute. The tragic incident took place shortly before noon on Thursday, under clear road conditions. Rescue teams encountered a harrowing scene, with bodies strewn across the road.

The semi-truck remained upright in a nearby ditch, its front end mangled, while the bus lay on the grass, engulfed in flames that ultimately reduced it to a charred frame. Dauphin Mayor David Bosiak expressed the city’s collective shock, as nearly everyone in the community of approximately 8,600 knew someone who was on the bus. The accident revived painful memories of a 2018 bus crash in the neighboring province of Saskatchewan, claiming the lives of 16 members of the Humboldt Broncos minor league hockey team.

In a separate incident, the police in the Canadian province of British Columbia reported no critical injuries among the 30 passengers aboard a charter bus that veered off a forest service road north of Prince George. The bus was transporting pipeline workers, and 17 individuals were transported to the hospital, according to BC Emergency Health Services.

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More about bus collision

• Bus crash kills 15 in Canada
• Police investigation underway
• Previous bus crash in Saskatchewan
• Details on the British Columbia bus accident