Seven people still in critical condition after tour bus crash on the Coquihalla Highway

By

MERRITT (NEWS1130) – Seven people are still in critical condition and six are in serious condition after a tour bus rollover on the Coquihalla Highway yesterday.

RCMP say the bus rolled into a ditch, ejecting multiple passengers.

Interior Health says facilities in Merritt, Kamloops and Kelowna treated a total of 43 patients, though only 24 are still in the hospital. Fraser Health treated 12 patients, all of whom are in stable condition.

Speaking on behalf of Super Vacations, Nicholas Kam, says this is the first time in the tour company’s history anything like that has happened.

He was quick to point out that the company was contracted out to a company called Western Bus Lines.

Kam was not able to speak to the condition of the driver but says he is very experienced.

Super Vacation has sent a team to the hospital to help people with their language barriers and to try and reunite people with family members.

Mounties say a dashboard camera from a tractor-trailer captured the rollover and it appears speed is not a factor. RCMP Sergeant Brian Nightingale says that leaves mechanical problems or human error as possible causes.

“Tire marks show that the bus had entered the centre median,” he explains, adding the bus somehow managed to right itself again.

Mechanical assessments of the steering and brakes of the bus will be done today.

The tour was by Super Vacation, a company out of Richmond that describes itself as the largest Chinese tour company in North America. Fifty-six people were aboard.

Top Stories

Top Stories

Most Watched Today