A tragic incident occurred on Saturday night in northwestern Alberta when a charter bus rolled over on a highway, resulting in the death of a woman and injuries to 22 other individuals. The Royal Canadian Mounted Police (RCMP) are currently investigating the crash on Highway 43, with road conditions suspected to have played a role in the single-vehicle collision.
Following the accident, most of the injured individuals have been discharged from the hospital, but the condition of six passengers remains serious. The Grande Prairie Seventh-day Adventist Church confirmed the loss of one of its members in the crash, with several others sustaining injuries. The group was returning to Grande Prairie from St. Albert when the bus crashed on an icy road while attempting to change lanes near an exit on Highway 43.
The Alberta Conference of the Seventh-day Adventist Church revealed that the deceased individual was an adult leader with the Grande Prairie Pathfinder Club. The RCMP announced the closure of Highway 43 for an extended period to allow reconstructionists to investigate the scene of the collision near Debolt, Alta.
Upon examination, it was determined that the bus, carrying 37 passengers of various ages, had struck the highway’s median and overturned once before coming to a stop upright. Tragically, a 50-year-old woman from Grande Prairie lost her life in the accident, while six other seriously injured passengers were transported to the hospital. The status of these individuals remained uncertain as of Sunday afternoon.
An additional bus was dispatched to transport 16 passengers with minor injuries to the hospital, all of whom have since been released. The highway was reopened to regular traffic on Sunday morning, marking the conclusion of the investigation and response efforts.
