Cormier Village hayride accident

Cormier Village hayride accident

Date	October 8, 1989 (1989-10-08)
Time	(afternoon)
Location	Route 945, New Brunswick, Canada
Casualties
13 dead
45 injured

The Cormier Village hayride accident refers to an accident that occurred in the Canadian rural community of Cormier Village, New Brunswick, 10 km (6.2 mi) west of Cap-Pelé and 22 km (14 mi) east of Shediac.

On the afternoon of Sunday, October 8, 1989, the members of the McGraw and Legere families were participating in a hayride, travelling in a wagon pulled by a farm tractor, as well as 2 following pickup trucks, along the shoulder of Route 945. They were approximately 100 m (330 ft) from the end of the ride at a community hall in Cormier Village where they had planned a family reunion as part of their celebration of Thanksgiving Weekend.

The driver of a tractor trailer hauling a 6-tonne load of hardwood logs cut into 20 ft (6.1 m) lengths lost control as he passed, resulting in the entire load of logs tipping onto the tractor/wagon and pickup trucks. 13 people were killed and 45 injured with many victims pinned and crushed; 5 children were among those who died.

Emergency responders from the RCMP in Shediac, volunteer fire fighters from Cap-Pelé and numerous ambulance paramedics from across Westmorland County responded to the graphic accident scene. Victims were transported to tertiary care hospitals in Moncton, approximately 45 km (28 mi) away.

The horror of this accident, both for survivors and emergency responders, resulted in the Government of New Brunswick forming a provincial Critical Incident Stress Management Team.

References

• Families mark anniversary of fatal N.B. hayride (CBC.CA) 8 October 2009
• Cormier Village tragedy leaves a legacy (Telegraph-Journal) 8 October 2009
• Hay Wagon - Truck Collision Kills 12 (Associated Press) 9 October 1989
• Critical Incident Stress Management - New Brunswick Style