WATCH: RCMP say his car went into the oncoming lane of the Trans-Canada Highway before colliding with the bus near the community of Chase All 57 people on the bus, mainly Korean tourists, were sent to hospital. Nadia Stewart reports.
A crash on Highway 1 between Chase and Kamloops involving a tour bus has resulted in one fatality.
The accident happened around 4 p.m. approximately 11 kilometres west of Chase on Highway 1, when a black Chevrolet Cavalier crashed head-on with a tour bus carrying 57 people.
The 19-year-old driver of the car, Sascha Dieter Hedrich, is dead and all 57 people in the bus were sent to hospital – but there are no reports of any additional life-threatening injuries.
Of the 57 people transported to Royal Inland Hospital in Kamloops, one was in serious condition and was transported via air ambulance, while another 20 had injuries and were transported via ambulance. The rest were sent to hospital by bus, purely as a precaution, and all have now been released.
The bus, operated by Wescan Charter Bus Lines, was heading to the Rocky Mountains from Vancouver. The people on board were tourists from Korea, according to RCMP Sgt. Mike Pears.
The crash, which is the third to involve a tour bus in B.C.’s Interior in a year, closed the highway in both directions for several hours, but has since reopened.
The cause of the crash is still under investigation.
“Central Interior Traffic Services along with the BC Coroners Service will continue to investigate this collision and attempt to determine what caused the Cavalier to travel into the oncoming lane and collide with the bus,” said Sgt. Pears in a statement.
“Alcohol is not considered a factor in this collision.”
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The accident is reported to have happened in the area known as Hoffman’s Bluff, a two-lane stretch of road that the provincial government announced earlier this year would be upgraded to four lanes to improve safety through the area.
Chase mayor Rick Berrigan says the winding, rock-faced stretch of highway has always been a concern to travellers and is very busy, especially in the summer.
“It’s a windy rock-faced portion of the highway,” said Berrigan.
“It’s always been an issue. Over the years of being here, we’ve had several tragic accidents, fatalities in that portion of highway.”
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With files from The Canadian Press
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