Four dead in a bus crash on Connector Hwy 97

[Bigbacardi]

High mountain road, winter conditions,
I think there is no basis for any sort of lawsuit.
Dangerous Rd. Period.
Many deaths have occurred on the coq
Many more will follow.
Sometimes thing just go wrong.

[mullyman]

Okay I read back and saw the other news story now I wonder who is hiring the drivers.

According to a colleage of mine, who drove for greyhound for over 20 yrs, there is little,or no winter driving training provided to operators any more...Another issue is scheduling. I was told that drivers have been let go for not staying on schedule,so there is a pressure to drive faster that conditions allow.Apparently the scheduler for e bus formerly worked @ greyhound,where there was conflict with this same issue.

[GordonH]

High mountain road, winter conditions,
I think there is no basis for any sort of lawsuit.
Dangerous Rd. Period.
Many deaths have occurred on the coq
Many more will follow.
Sometimes thing just go wrong.

Over the years this suing over everything has been creeping over border more & more. US has gotten to the point were people will probably sue over a broken fingernail.

As I mentioned nothing the Families do now will bring their loved ones back, go through the grieving process.

[my5cents]

Over the years this suing over everything has been creeping over border more & more. US has gotten to the point were people will probably sue over a broken fingernail.

As I mentioned nothing the Families do now will bring their loved ones back, go through the grieving process.

Haven't you been paying attention ? No Fault. Maybe a few can sue, not most, barred by law.

[GordonH]

Over the years this suing over everything has been creeping over border more & more. US has gotten to the point were people will probably sue over a broken fingernail.

As I mentioned nothing the Families do now will bring their loved ones back, go through the grieving process.

Haven't you been paying attention ? No Fault. Maybe a few can sue, not most, barred by law.

Not suing via icbc.

Not being able to take someone to court over a death is in my opinion BS.

btw reread my posts this can only happen if either driver or maintenance company didn’t do their jobs.
Examples: speed due the conditions... not enough sanding done (salt tends to be useless under certain temperature).

[my5cents]

Haven't you been paying attention ? No Fault. Maybe a few can sue, not most, barred by law.

Not suing via icbc.

Not being able to take someone to court over a death is in my opinion BS.

btw reread my posts this can only happen if either driver or maintenance company didn’t do their jobs.
Examples: speed due the conditions... not enough sanding done (salt tends to be useless under certain temperature).

I said "most are barred". The deaths and seriously injured, yes.

"Not suing via ICBC", so you think I can sue another driver for which no fault applies, by somehow excluding ICBC from the suit ? One actually doesn't sue ICBC, they sue the "negligent driver", who hands the writ to their insurance company, ICBC, who handle it.

"...didn't do their job". One can't sue for the sake of it. Every suit must involve negligence, that's the basis of suits, negligence.

[GordonH]

Not suing via icbc.

Not being able to take someone to court over a death is in my opinion BS.

btw reread my posts this can only happen if either driver or maintenance company didn’t do their jobs.
Examples: speed due the conditions... not enough sanding done (salt tends to be useless under certain temperature).

I said "most are barred". The deaths and seriously injured, yes.

"Not suing via ICBC", so you think I can sue another driver for which no fault applies, by somehow excluding ICBC from the suit ? One actually doesn't sue ICBC, they sue the "negligent driver", who hands the writ to their insurance company, ICBC, who handle it.

"...didn't do their job". One can't sue for the sake of it. Every suit must involve negligence, that's the basis of suits, negligence.

So are you saying in BC Civil court-case can’t happen involving death of a passenger. Negligence will be found by the police investigation into this bus crash, right or I’m wrong.

[my5cents]

So are you saying in BC Civil court-case can’t happen involving death of a passenger. Negligence will be found by the police investigation into this bus crash, right or I’m wrong.

I said just the opposite (sorry I re-read and it wasn't that clear). Suits can only take place for deaths and serious catastrophic injury. I'm not sure of the wording ICBC legislation uses.

Police don't investigate negligence they investigate criminality. Negligence is civil, not a police function. Frequently some pieces of their investigation help in the civil investigation, but they don't find fault. Also just because one driver gets a ticket or is charged, doesn't make them necessarily liable for the collision. The best example is the drunk stopped at a red light in slippery conditions getting rear ended by a sober driver sliding into him. Drunk charged with impaired, liable driver walks.

For example, when the police block a roadway for an extended time, taking photo's, measurements, "conducting an investigation", if an insurance company is involved (now, I'm sure must less so), they will hire the heavy hitters, engineers, who use the raw data from the police, the measurements, photo's etc and do their own investigation and make their own conclusions for the insurance company.

[cjszalka]

When weather conditions become so dangerous that maintenance to keep a highway driveable that highway needs to be shut down in my opinion. Such a heartbreaking time for everyone.

[my5cents]

When weather conditions become so dangerous that maintenance to keep a highway driveable that highway needs to be shut down in my opinion. Such a heartbreaking time for everyone.

It's a tough call when the Highway Dept is dealing with hundreds of kms of roadway in varying altitudes with varying conditions (like cross winds blowing snow). If they close the Connector (for example) when any one km stretch is dicey, they could be closing it at times of the year 50% of the time.

I remember one spring day driving the Connector, coming back to Kelowna from Merritt. Sunny breaks, above freezing, some wet roads some dryish. Crested a rise and right as I got to the little plateau on top there was 2-3 inches of slush all over the roadway. I was going a reasonable speed for the condition prior to the slush. Luckily for me there was a track through the slush, another vehicle had blazed a trail through it. I took my foot off the accelerator (no braking) and gingerly followed the track for a 100 or so meters until my speed had reduced. Without the track, I don't know how I would have done.

I had just driven from Kelowna to Merritt and was returning, minutes later, so had been driving the same stretch in the other direction  ? 30 minutes earlier, with no sign of snow/slush.

For example the Connector is 130 kms. In a certain area, the roads are dicey, you close the road you are closing 130 kms of road. Like stopping a train, you don't stop one train car you stop the train.

It's a tough call.

[Saviour]

Bull ! How a driver interacts with the passengers tarnishes the brand or makes it shine !

And I agreed with you, but that still has nothing to do with the accident other than the unsubstantiated assumption on your behalf that you seeing a driver "yelling" at passengers equates to a driver involved in an accident. These are two different things.

The "brush" was broad enough to kill four human beings !

They're not interrelated regardless of how many times you parrot the same nonsensical narrative.

If the police investigation finds the Driver responsible for this tragedy, hopefully the courts will charge the Driver full sentence according to the law.

If the investigation finds poor highway maintenance procedures was the cause of this tragedy, the Families should then go after highway Maintenance Contractor.

I agree, let the investigation take place and go from there. If it was driver error, then take appropriate action against the driver. If there was a mechanical failure or improper equipment, then take appropriate action against the company. If the road maintenance was the issue, then the road cleaning standards need to be re-examined.

[Urban Cowboy]

If road maintenance was the issue, I automatically have to wonder how so many emergency response vehicles made it there safely from quite a distance?

Also it has been stated several times in the articles addressing this crash, that there were seven pieces of equipment working on the road in question, and that the work was up to ministry prescribed standards.

No contractor nor ministry of highways staff, for those who liked them better, can be working under ever changing storm circumstances, and provide summer time road conditions as it seems some expect.

Most understand that high mountain passes are treacherous in winter.

This would also be why many sections across the province, have barriers in place that are dropped down to close the road, when conditions get far too dangerous, or avalanche control is underway.

[Saviour]

If road maintenance was the issue, I automatically have to wonder how so many emergency response vehicles made it there safely from quite a distance?

Also it has been stated several times in the articles addressing this crash, that there were seven pieces of equipment working on the road in question, and that the work was up to ministry prescribed standards.

Just to be clear, I'm not saying that road maintenance was the issue, but it could have been a factor that the investigation will look into and if the investigation (not saying that there it will) does find that the maintenance was not up to standards or that the standards need to be changed, then that would need to be addressed.

[Tankur]

If road maintenance was the issue, I automatically have to wonder how so many emergency response vehicles made it there safely from quite a distance?

Also it has been stated several times in the articles addressing this crash, that there were seven pieces of equipment working on the road in question, and that the work was up to ministry prescribed standards.

Just to be clear, I'm not saying that road maintenance was the issue, but it could have been a factor that the investigation will look into and if the investigation (not saying that there it will) does find that the maintenance was not up to standards or that the standards need to be changed, then that would need to be addressed.

100% the issue was road maintenance. I was driving to Merrit and back from lake country for two weeks prior to the accident. Most days were sunny, but still 6”of ice on the road. And bare in spots yea but when you’re driving along and the transition from bare to 6” of ice was a rough one, especially if going around corners unless doing 50 , but then you’re a hazard at that point going so slow, cus the guy behind you is flyin .

[t76turbo]

If the police investigation finds the Driver responsible for this tragedy, hopefully the courts will charge the Driver full sentence according to the law.

Nothing will bring back any of Families loved ones, most likely the Families will probably be suing Ebus line.

If the investigation finds poor highway maintenance procedures was the cause of this tragedy, the Families should then go after highway Maintenance Contractor.

So who should you sue if the provided and mandated safety belts weren’t utilized?