A bus driver who drove into the path of a semi-trailer in western Manitoba last year was clearly at fault for the crash that killed 17 people but will not face charges, authorities said Wednesday.
“This was a very tragic collision, and it happened because of a choice made by the bus driver. However, we cannot prove that that choice that day was the result of anything criminal,” said RCMP Supt. Rob Lasson.
Lasson, along with other officers and a Crown attorney, explained the results of a year-long investigation into the crash on a section of the Trans-Canada Highway near Carberry, about 160 kilometres west of Winnipeg.
The minibus, carrying 24 seniors from Dauphin to a casino, was travelling south on Highway 5 and nearing its destination on June 15, 2023, when it came to an intersection with the Trans-Canada.
Traffic on the Trans-Canada flows freely while vehicles on Highway 5 are met by a stop sign. They then proceed to a median, where there is a yield sign before they can go further. Weather conditions at the time were clear.
The bus stopped, made it to the median then proceeded through the yield sign, even though the truck, heading east on the Trans-Canada, was close and had the right of way, said Crown attorney Chris Vanderhooft.
“The bus driver did not appear to see the semi-truck coming,” Vanderhooft said.