Close X
Saturday, November 30, 2024
ADVT 
National

Glacier bus crash survivor calls for seatbelts

Darpan News Desk The Canadian Press, 21 Jul, 2020 10:11 PM
  • Glacier bus crash survivor calls for seatbelts

The boyfriend of a woman killed when the sightseeing bus the couple was on rolled in the Rocky Mountains believes she would still be alive had passengers been wearing seatbelts.

Devon Ernest was with his girlfriend Dionne Durocher and his cousin in Jasper National Park last weekend when the trio boarded the off-road bus to head up to the Athabasca Glacier.

Ernest, who is from Saskatchewan, says the last thing he remembers is hitting the roof of the bus, then waking up next to Durocher who was barley breathing and later pronounced dead.

RCMP say three people were killed and the 24 other people on board were sent to hospital after Saturday's rollover, many with critical injuries.

Officials haven't determined the cause of the crash.

The company that runs the Columbia Icefield tours, Pursuit, says the buses don't have seatbelts because the vehicles are not approved drive on the highway and they don't travel faster than 40 km/h.

"I definitely think everyone would be OK if there were seatbelts," Ernest said in a phone interview from hospital, where he is recovering.

"Seatbelts would have changed everything."

MORE National ARTICLES

Alberta businesswoman named lieutenant-governor, first Muslim in role in Canada

Alberta businesswoman named lieutenant-governor, first Muslim in role in Canada
Prime Minister Justin Trudeau has named business owner and philanthropist Salma Lakhani as Alberta's new lieutenant-governor. When she formally takes over the role, Lakhani will become Canada's first Muslim lieutenant-governor.

Alberta businesswoman named lieutenant-governor, first Muslim in role in Canada

COVID-19 not changing Canada Day: poll

COVID-19 not changing Canada Day: poll
COVID-19 means the true north is not entirely free this Canada Day, but a new survey suggests that's not going to change how many people mark the holiday.

COVID-19 not changing Canada Day: poll

Economy posts record plunge in April

Economy posts record plunge in April
The full impact of sweeping economic lockdowns meant to slow the spread of COVID-19 came into sharper view, with new figures showing Canada saw the largest monthly drop on record in April as the country came to a near standstill.

Economy posts record plunge in April

Indigenous groups share Canada Day frustrations

Indigenous groups share Canada Day frustrations
Canada Day comes this year as Indigenous Peoples absorb reports of confrontations between the police and Aboriginal people, as well as accusations of systemic racism in British Columbia's health-care system.

Indigenous groups share Canada Day frustrations

Conditions dire for B.C. orchardists: association

Conditions dire for B.C. orchardists: association
The association says a survey of its members shows more than 67 per cent of farmers have reduced fruit production because of uncertainties linked to the pandemic.

Conditions dire for B.C. orchardists: association

Probe raises issues after fatal Tofino plane crash

Probe raises issues after fatal Tofino plane crash
An investigation into a fatal plane crash north of Tofino, B.C., last December has raised potential safety issues for other pilots.

Probe raises issues after fatal Tofino plane crash