Friday, September 10, 2010
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Bus mechanically sound
by Corey LeBlanc coreyleblanc@thecasket.ca

Investigators have determined there were no mechanical problems with an Acadian Lines bus that crash through a guardrail before landing in Tracadie Harbour Jan. 23. (Corey LeBlanc photo)
      There were no problems with an Acadian Lines bus that crashed through a guardrail before plunging into the Tracadie River Jan. 23.
      “There was nothing wrong mechanically,” RCMP Cst. Mike Thompson, one of the police investigators, said Monday.
      Thompson said weather conditions were a factor in the mishap, including slippery roads and high winds.
      “It was cold and the winds were howling. It was hard to even open your eyes because the snow was blowing hard in your face,” Thompson added, recalling conditions that night.
      Just after 6 p.m. on Jan. 23, the passenger bus, which was travelling from Sydney to Halifax, left Trans Canada Highway 104 in stormy weather conditions. When it came to stop in the Antigonish County river it was more than half submerged.
      Five passengers and the driver were on board.
      St. F.X. student Steve Wilton swam to shore and flagged down a passing motorist, who called for help. Wilton was not injured.
      After the driver and other four passengers were rescued from the roof of the bus, they were taken to St. Martha’s Regional Hospital for treatment.
      “No one is left in the hospital,” Thompson said.
      Police, ambulance and volunteer fire department personnel, including members from Tracadie, Havre Boucher and Pomquet, responded to the emergency call. The Antigonish County fire department’s water rescue was also on the scene.
      “Everyone pulled together to make sure everyone got out safely,” Thompson said.
      A pair of Auld’s Cove area divers also played an integral role in the successful rescue, helping transport the stranded driver and passengers to shore.
      When contacted by email, one of divers declined to be identified. He credited the “team effort” involved in the happy ending that resulted.
      During the rescue, the highway was closed between exits 37 and 38. Traffic was re-routed along Route #4.
      Traffic interruptions also took place the next day as crews, with the help of three large cranes, plucked the bus out of the frigid waters. The process took more than three hours.
      The Monastery crash was the second for the passenger bus company in less than one year. In similar conditions on Feb. 3, 2009, an Acadian Lines bus with six people on board landed in Cape Breton’s Baddeck River after leaving the highway during poor winter weather.
      No one died in that crash.
      The same driver was behind the wheel on both occasions.
      Thompson agreed the result of the Antigonish County crash could have been much worse.
      “They were very lucky. It’s a miracle they lived,” he said.

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Recent Member Comments (6 total)
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Kingston Kid wrote:
A scary event for all involved. Thank heavens and the hard work by ALL involved in the rescue efforts. Same driver, eh? Hope he's OK, what a horrible thing to happen on the job, twice.
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mama mia wrote:
I can't believe the huge effort and risk my brothers (the divers) took to rescue the people from the bus accident and no one even took the time to acknowledge them and at least get their "names" which were Tom Jewers and Herb Jewers.

E. Jewers
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