TORONTO — A bus carrying seniors to a on line casino that collided with a semi-trailer truck in a crash that killed 15 folks didn’t have the appropriate of method, police mentioned Friday, after watching video of the accident.
Royal Canadian Mounted Police Supt. Rob Lasson mentioned police additionally obtained witness statements from passing motorists that corroborated what investigators noticed on the sprint cam video from the semi truck.
“This video signifies the bus entered the roadway the place the semi truck had the appropriate of method,” Lasson mentioned, including later: “We don’t know why the bus proceeded.”
He mentioned officers had not been capable of communicate to the driving force of the bus, who’s hospitalized. The truck driver has been launched from the hospital.
Lasson mentioned police weren’t assigning blame right now and continued to analyze. He added that officers had been trying into whether or not the truck had mechanical issues.
Lasson mentioned investigators had not but recognized the our bodies of the 15 killed, although those that weren’t injured had been presumed to be deceased. He mentioned the ages of the deceased and injured ranged between 58 and 88. Nineteen had been girls and 6 had been males.
The group of 25 seniors was on a day-trip from rural Dauphin, Manitoba, when the crash occurred on the Trans-Canada Freeway.
Six of 10 seniors who survived had been listed in essential situation, well being officers mentioned Friday. The remaining 4 had been additionally hospitalized. Most of them had head accidents and damaged bones.
“That is an aged cohort of sufferers, so recoveries shall be lengthy and, in fact, may be difficult,” Dr. Shawn Younger, chief working officer of Well being Sciences Centre Winnipeg, mentioned at a information convention.
Chief health worker John Younes mentioned work continues on figuring out those that died, utilizing fingerprints, dental data and, if obligatory, serial numbers on synthetic hips and even DNA.
“The explanation we’ve to undertake scientific technique of identification is that the majority, if not all, of the deceased have vital facial trauma, so figuring out them visually will not be doable,” Younes mentioned.
He mentioned authorities hope to have autopsy examinations achieved by Monday and identifications accomplished by the center of subsequent week.
In Dauphin, the place a lot of the bus riders are from, flags had been flown at half-staff.
Sandra Kaleta, who’s concerned with the Dauphin Energetic Residing Centre, mentioned she knew a few of the folks on the bus and performed Scrabble each Tuesday with one in all them.
“I don’t know how she is,” mentioned Kaleta. “I believe that’s the toughest half. I can’t think about what a few of these households are going by.”
Kaleta mentioned she recalled everybody feeling enthusiastic about going to the on line casino, one thing that did not occur typically. The final such outing could have been earlier than the COVID-19 pandemic, she famous.
“It’s going to take years, not simply days or months (to get better),” she mentioned.
Prime Minister Justin Trudeau mentioned the flag in Ottawa’s Peace Tower on Parliament Hill would even be lowered.
The crash occurred simply earlier than midday Thursday. Police mentioned street situations had been clear on the time.
Rescue crews encountered a horrific scene of our bodies on the street.
The semi was nonetheless upright in a ditch, its entrance finish crumpled, whereas the bus was on the grass a brief distance away engulfed in flames that ultimately burned it right down to a blackened chassis.
Dauphin Mayor David Bosiak mentioned everybody within the metropolis of about 8,600 is aware of somebody who was on the bus, and there’s a collective feeling of shock.
The accident introduced again recollections of a 2018 bus crash within the neighboring province of Saskatchewan that killed 16 folks from the Humboldt Broncos minor league hockey staff.
In the meantime, police within the Canadian province of British Columbia mentioned no essential accidents had been reported amongst 30 folks on a constitution bus that crashed on a forest service street north of Prince George, British Columbia on Friday.
RCMP Cpl. Jennifer Cooper mentioned quite a few ambulances and cops have been dispatched. The bus was carrying pipeline staff Friday morning when it went off the street.
BC Emergency Well being Providers mentioned 17 sufferers had been transported to hospital.