REGINA – On a day set aside to recognize Saskatchewan’s school bus drivers, one driver’s loss in a tragic collision was being mourned while the four student passengers who suffered injuries work towards recovery.
The 52-year-old Goodeve woman who died had been employed as a substitute bus driver for the Good Spirit School Division since January, filling in on routes as the need arose.
"There’s a strong sense of grief for our bus drivers because they lost a colleague. They take their job very seriously … one of a great deal of value to all people," Dwayne Reeve, the division’s director of education, said in an interview Monday. The Ministry of Education had earlier proclaimed Monday as School Bus Drivers Appreciation Day.
The deceased driver, whose name hasn’t been released, and her husband were relative newcomers to the community, reportedly moving to a Goodeve-area farm from Alberta less than two years ago. "She was planning so many things," said one resident, recalling that the couple was looking at renovations to their property.
School officials met with the woman’s fellow bus drivers on Sunday evening to provide information and an opportunity to discuss thoughts and concerns. "When something like this happens to one of their colleagues, it strikes them very hard," said Reeve.
The collision occurred around 4:15 p.m. Friday about 15 kilometres south of Melville. The bus, capable of carrying up to 20 students, was nearing the end of the route, with three more stops to drop off the remaining four male students, aged seven to 16, who attend Melville schools.
According to RCMP, the bus was eastbound on a grid road when it collided with the southbound "B-train" semi unit, hauling two tankers of diesel, down Highway 47. The bus proceeded into the path of the semi, resulting in a T-bone collision when the driver’s side of the bus connected with the passenger side the semi. The tankers were not ruptured.
"Witnesses said all they saw was a pile of dust and debris," said Melville Staff Sgt. Ewen Booth. The bus driver, who had a stop sign, either stopped and then proceeded or failed to stop – but why remains uncertain at this point. "We might never know the actual answer," said Booth. While skid marks suggest the semi did brake, it was close to the scene. "The driver obviously didn’t think there was anything abnormal while he came up to the intersection. By the time anything had happened, it was too late to react."
The impact sent the bus sliding sideways into the semi. The bus bounced, rolled over once onto the passenger side, then came to rest on its wheels.
"When you have people inside a vehicle doing that, they’re like ragdolls," said Booth. "That’s where the seat belts come in. At least they would have remained in their seats rather than being thrown around."
With two of the injured students now released from hospital, RCMP hope to learn more from the passengers about the crash.
In addition to investigations by RCMP and the Coroner’s Office, Transport Canada is also examining the crash with an eye to school bus safety.
Two of the injured students attend Miller Elementary School, a K-4 school in Melville, and two attend Melville Comprehensive School, which has grades 7 to 12. Three were transported to larger hospitals in Regina and Saskatoon while the fourth with lesser injuries was treated in Melville.
"They are on the road to a full recovery. But we also know there’s a varying degree of injuries, and it will perhaps be quite some time for some of the students before their recovery is realized," said Reeve.
Counsellors were made available to students at three Melville schools on Monday to provide one-on-one assistance as needed and also speak to students in the affected classrooms about what they might be experiencing. "We may not see the need immediately, but we may see it a day or two – or even next week," said Reeve. He encouraged parents to contact the school if the need for help becomes apparent.
The bus route on which the crash occurred was run Monday as usual, but families were contacted in advance. "(We) let them know we would understand if they chose not to send their children on the bus," Reeve said, adding that generally those contacted were confident about their children riding the bus. "They view this just unfortunately as an accident."
The incident has renewed the issue of seat belts in school buses. Transport Canada does not require seat belts, saying that evidence shows the design of the seats is meant to protect students.
Reeve said the division’s practice is to follow the guidelines set down by the province, which relies on Transport Canada.
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