Boys in Red Tragedy

The Boys in Red Tragedy [ [http://bathursthigh.nbed.nb.ca/birhome.html Bathurst High School Site] ] or 2008 Bathurst van collision was a collision between a van carrying a basketball team with a transport truck just outside the town of Bathurst, New Brunswick. Eight people were killed and four others were injured. [ [http://www.ctv.ca/servlet/ArticleNews/story/CTVNews/20080112/nb_crash_080112/20080112?hub=TopStories CTV article] ] The basketball team was from Bathurst High School and were returning to Bathurst after a basketball game in Moncton. The accident was the worst in New Brunswick since a logging truck lost control and tipped onto a hayride in Cormier Village, New Brunswick killing 12 in 1989. It was also the worst accident involving a Canadian sports team. The laws put into effect after the crash continue to influence the methods of transporting students in the province of New Brunswick and to some extent the rest of Canada to this day.

Accident

The Bathurst High School basketball team was returning from a game on the night of January 11 2008 after a basketball game against a Moncton rival. In the early hours of January 12, the van traveling northward on Route 11 was approaching the city limits and in front of the Miramichi Avenue exit when the van driver lost control of the vehicle and collided with a southbound transport truck. Only moments before the accident, Nathan Cleland, one of the passengers, called his parents to let them know they were only minutes from home, Cleland's parents stated that the boys were laughing and having a good time before the accident. Cleland was one of the 8 killed in collision.

The wreck was discovered by a police officer who had originally only noticed the transport truck off the road and called for a tow truck. Upon approaching, he discovered the mangled van and called for backup. Three rows of the van were torn out along with its passengers. According to early reports, three bodies were thrown outside the van along with their seat belts and seats. Officers were slow to respond due to freezing rain which had begun to fall. Eight of the van occupants were pronounced dead - seven students and the van driver's wife. The four survivors of the van, two players, the basketball team coach/driver and his daughter were rushed to Chaleur Regional Hospital in Bathurst. One of the injured was listed in critical condition, two in stable, and the fourth was released shortly after the accident. The driver of the transport truck was not injured.

Causes

Snow, rain and freezing rain fell across potions of the province the entire day. At the time the team was returning home snow covered parts of the road obscuring the vue of the centreline. When Lord saw the oncoming transport truck he moved to the far right of the road. The van then passed onto the shoulder of the road. Realizing he was on the road Lord: “… corrected to get back on the road”. The van not equipped with snow tires lost control on the slippery road and passed the centerline into the way of the southbound truck.

Lord attempted to steer hard to the left onto the southbound lanes shoulder too avoid the collision. The driver of the oncoming semi attempted to slow down to avoid the collision. However there was not enough time and the truck struck the rightside of the van. The van and truck came to rest on the southbound shoulder. 9 of the passengers were not wearing seatbelts or not wearing them properly, 7 of them were subsequently ejected from the vehicle upon impact and killed. Only one person who was wearing a seatbelt properly was killed.

Transport Canada cited the poor weather conditions and slippery roads, driver error, [ [http://www.cbc.ca/canada/new-brunswick/story/2008/07/30/nb-transport-canada.html CBC article] ] and lack of snow tires as the major contributing factors of the crash. [ [http://www.cbc.ca/nb/media/pdf/transport_canada_report.pdf Transport Canada Report] ]

The accident is causing school boards and teams across Canada to review their transportation policies. This investigation is expected to bring into question the safety of the 15-passenger van - a class of vehicle that has a poor safety record.. [ [http://www.cbc.ca/canada/newfoundland-labrador/story/2008/01/16/edmunston-vans.html CBC article] ] The vehicle was a Ford Club Wagon. These vehicles were once considered more cost effective than buses, but are now banned or being phased out for school use in many states, provinces, counties and school districts. Following the accident, all New Brunswick schools immediately halted the uses of these vehicles. It is expected that the vehicles will be banned for carrying sports teams in the province in the coming months. If so, New Brunswick will be the second province to do so, after Nova Scotia.

Investigation Status

An RCMP Report on the collision was released July 29, 2008. It claimed the van would not have likely passed a safety inspection if it was subject to one. In a press briefing, the RCMP Accident Reconstructionist, Annie Nielson, indicated that rust in the body of the vehicle was the one factor that would have caused the vehicle to fail the inspection, and that this would not have contributed to the accident. While the all-season tires on the vehicle were worn and the rear brakes needed repairs, these factors would not have caused the vehicle to fail a motor vehicle inspection. The vehicle had been inspected approximately two months prior to the collision, and it had been given a passing grade, and a motor vehicle inspection sticker which would be valid for six months. The report resulted in people questioning the integrity of New Brunswick's motor vehicle inspection program.

The RCMP claimed that the van was traveling about 73 km/h at the time of the collision. This was below the posted limit of 100 km/h.

Six of the victims were not wearing their seat belts according to the report, while a seventh was not properly restrained. One survivor was also not wearing a seatbelt.

Transport Canada released a report on July 30, 2008. The report blamed the weather conditions, but put more focus on driver fatigue and driver error. It also cited several breaches of provincial law in regards to operation of commercial vehicles. The van in question was considered a bus according to the report. The driver was considered on duty for 16 hours when the collision happened, where law states that one cannot drive beyond 14 consecutive hours of duty. There were also claim of inadequate pre-trip inspections and inadequate log book keeping. There was also an inadequate protocol regarding as to contingency plans in event of poor weather.

Victims

Fatalities
*Javier Acevedo, 17
*Codey Branch, 17
*Nathan Cleland, 17
*Justin Cormier, 17
*Daniel Hains, 17
*Nick Kelly, 15
*Elizabeth Lord, 51
*Nickolas Quinn, 16

Injured
*Timmy Daley, 17
*Bradd Arseneau, 16
*Wayne Lord, Not known at this time.
*Katie Lord, 17

Reaction

Parents of the students were waiting at the local McDonald's about 10 minutes from the site of the accident, waiting to pick up the students after the bus was late, before learning of the crash earlier in the morning.

School District 15 superintendent John McLaughlin said that the entire community was in a state of shock. District officials arrived at the school to set up a grief centre in the early morning. The day after the accident, McLaughlin was questioned on the laws and regulations governing team travel across the province. He noted that, in order to drive the van in question, the teacher/driver needed a special license. When asked if the teacher had a licence, he said yes. When asked further about regulations about driving in bad weather, he stated that there were no laws or regulations in the province which stated when teams could be driven or not depending on the weather. He also added, "That's really hard because you have to gauge the weather each time you have to make a decision," he said. "As for what happened last night, I can't comment. I don't have that information. But in general, our people take great care in making decisions based on the information that they have at the time."

Prime Minister Stephen Harper said the incident has "shocked the nation" and called for a day of mourning across the country. [ [http://www.cbc.ca/canada/story/2008/01/12/nb-crash.html CBC article] ]

Premier Shawn Graham stated, "I just want to extend sympathies to the affected families. This is a tragic situation for the community of Bathurst and our province."

On January 16, five days following the accident all extracurricular activities in the province were canceled. Services were held across the province. A funeral for the seven basketball players was held in Bathurst. Elizabeth Lord's followed the next day.

Aftermath

On August 26, 2008 a government working group presented New Brunswick Education Minister Kelly Lamrock with 15 recommendations they said should be made enforcable policies. These include:

*Buses be used for the transport of 10 or more students.
*Results of vehicle inspections be sent to the department.
*Use of snow tires from October 15 to April 30 of every year.

Lamrock has asked school districts to follow the recommendations until the changes have formally been put into effect. [ [http://www.ctv.ca/servlet/ArticleNews/story/CTVNews/20080826/NB_transport_080826/20080826?hub=Canada CTV article] ]

See also

*List of disasters in Canada

References