The truck that collided with a bus of seniors had the right-of-way when a minibus pulled into the intersection, RCMP say dash cam footage seized from the transport vehicle shows.
RCMP say they’ve been seeking “accurate, meaningful” evidence since the crash that claimed 15 lives and injured 10 Thursday morning, including poring over footage captured of the crash on the dash cam and speaking with witnesses to the accident.
Mounties confirmed 19 women and six men between the ages of 55 and 88 were on the minibus heading to Sand Hills Casino in Carberry, Man. when it was struck by a truck crossing the Trans-Canada Highway on Highway 5.
Six women and four men survived the accident, where they are receiving care at Winnipeg’s Health Sciences Centre and Brandon Regional Health Centre. Six remain in critical condition.
RCMP Sup. Rob Lasson said the bus and truck have been seized for further analysis, but which party is responsible for the accident remains unclear.
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“We are not assigning culpability or laying blame at this time,” he told reporters Friday afternoon, but said witness accounts corroborate the dash cam footage.
The semi truck will be checked for a data recorder to determine its speed, exact location and if it had any mechanical issues at the time of the crash.
Lasson said the driver of the truck is doing well physically while the driver of the minibus remains in hospital receiving care for their injuries.
While all victims in hospital have been identified and their families notified, identifying deceased victims is “impossible” because they all sustained significant trauma to their faces, Chief Medical Examiner Dr. John K. Younes said.
Forensics teams will have to rely on fingerprints, dental records and serial numbers on joint and hip replacements to identify the 15 dead, the chief examiner said.
Lasson said the investigation could take three months or longer, depending on the outcomes of the truck’s investigation, judicial authorizations and when survivors are interviewed.
“We don’t want to approach people that are in recovery because re-interviewing them can be very traumatic,” he said.
“We need to be very sensitive to that and very patient as investigators.”