The Grim Reaper strikes again
 

A school bus carrying a Canadian junior hockey team has crashed with a tractor-trailer in Saskatchewan. The bus was carrying 28 people. 14 at hospital, 14 dead. ‘One of the darkest days in the history of Saskatchewan’ as 14 die in bus crash.’ My God.
The school buses always seem to lose in those encounters, don’t they? Light construction, high CG, no seat belts, no air bags. Still, considering the number of passenger miles per year, I guess it’s a safe mode of transportation, certainly safer than an aircraft that crashes. The aircraft has lots of ways to avoid crashing, but once it happens, it’s lights out.
RIP to the children.
Humboldt Broncos hockey team bus in fatal collision with transport truck in Saskatchewan

Yes, a true tragedy, The whole bus industry lack of rear facing seats, no padding, no belts, metal bars at face height, and where we live only part time staff drivers{ Fortunately very competent folks} is simply asking for this kind of tragedy, add to these factors our climate and country roads its a wonder we don't loose more in such accidents. Lets hope this incident is the push to modify these dangerous vehicles. Our deepest sympathy to all affected by this tragic loss of so many of our young.

Hockey is a way of life in these prairie towns. The community is devastated.
Having lived and worked in a small town in Alberta I understand what the residents must be going through and I send my deepest sympathy.

The last two tour buses I’ve been on had lap belts, but I’m pretty sure my wife and I were the only ones who used them.

Terrible news... looking at this aerial shot of the scene of the accident it is no wonder some had no chance to survive... R.I.P.

http://i17.photobucket.com/albums/b7...pser3fliqs.jpg

My Canadian wife had tears rolling down her cheeks when she saw this on the net! Gruesome!

I had just arrived safely home with the Coast-Buss from Bergen.
The seatbelt installed on that buss would not have saved all the Kids, but maybe one,,,,,
Lets take the NTSB hat on!
Seatbelt on all school busses and tour busses. Mandatory!
We have it in Norway.
Now it is time in Canada!

I have run a few stop signs on the Prairies.
In the days I was immortal and had a Camarro.

Those 60 tonners are to be respected at 120k mind you.
Respectfully
Cpt B

Google Streetview shows a collection of crosses near this intersection. It seems a family died there some twenty years ago.

The farm residence and trees in the SE corner block the view of approaching traffic. Out here in the prairies, I keep an eye on traffic approaching stop signs to make sure the driver is slowing down for it. I've seen stop signs blown:eek:

The truck was pulling a double trailer of peat moss. Perhaps the truck driver blew the sign or perhaps the truck pulled out when bus was far away and the bus driver thought the truck and first trailer would be out of the way, but was not aware of the second trailer until too late.

Photos show that the NB rail crossing sign was swept away by rear trailer, but the WB stop sign and lamppost is still standing.

I've done a lot of driving in rural Saskatchewan. I've found that semi drivers tend to speed. When coming to an intersection where they are required to stop they will slow down and roll through without completely stopping unless there's a vehicle in the intersection or closely approaching. Very frustrating!

The intersection of 35 and 335 would be a terrible corner to pull a “roll through”. There’s a stand of trees that completely blocks your ability to see approaching traffic from the south.

There is a high resolution image here -

http://www.macleans.ca/wp-content/up...-bus-crash.jpg

Looks like bus caught the tail of the cab in a T-bone thing (cab rear fairing bent) and then went under the first trailer. Trailer chassis rail is very severely mangled, these are not flimsy, I imagine that you could pound on it with a hammer and not make a dent. Compare with rail of second trailer which seems to be of identical construction.

Bus left hand skin is severely bent to the left at front.

No "rolling through" I wouldn't have thought. Quite fast.

Was daylight - Sunset 19:30 CST, crash 17:00 CST

Discussion of previous and recent crash in [1].

Doesn't seem to be a "school bus" as has been mentioned, Charlie's Charters.

In the UK since 2001, other than urban buses, all buses/coaches have seat belts and they are required to be used. Few people bother though. Bus crashes are pretty rare I seem to recall although I can't find any numbers right now.

[1] Crash that killed 15 prompts calls for more safety at small-town crossing | CBC News

https://www.pprune.org/members/19982...ssis-1-600.png
https://www.pprune.org/members/19982...-chassis-2.png

More on the intersection, which was the scene of another multi-fatality crash 20 years ago.

Humboldt Broncos crash site is no stranger to tragedy | CBC News

Amateur accident reconstruction time here. Assume the bus was going the speed limit, 100 kph. At that rate, it travels about 90 feet per second. And it might take, what—four to eight seconds or more to stop from that speed? So if the bus driver saw the truck in or near the intersection, the bus driver would have had to hit the brakes perhaps 500 feet or more in advance—a long way away—to stop at the intersection to avoid the truck.

In my mind, proceeding through an intersection at that speed, without stopping, and with trees blocking your view off to the right for all but a short distance at the intersection, is courting danger. Why do you think so many trucks and buses have decals that say “This vehicle stops at all railroad crossings”? Because it’s dangerous not to, that’s why. I, personally, blame the intersection for not having a four way stop. It’s one thing to have only a two-way (not four-way) stop on a slow road (60kph, for example). It’s another thing altogether to allow cross traffic when you are going too fast to stop. I can’t think of a highway anywhere near where I live, that allows cross traffic to enter from the side when I am going highway speeds.

There are thousands of intersections with two-way stops dotted all across rural Canada. Some have a checkered past, most do not. Many of the ones where bad accidents have happened in the past now have pavement rumble strips to warn of the impending stop sign, and they are very effective.

I am more of an urban/suburban traveler. I do see a lot of two-way stop intersections, but not on roads where the speed limit for the through road is as high as 100 kph (~60mph) as in this case. Typically in my areas, any road with a speed limit of over 40-45 mph will be a limited access road. I can certainly understand the desire to go quickly and with few stops when one needs to travel a long distance (as in many rural areas), but as with most of life's benefits (in this case, "no stopping needed") there comes a corresponding detriment (the occasional bad crash).

Correction and other Observations
 

Examination of more photos show the NB rail crossing sign is still in place (or replaced). More likely the crossing sign West of the intersection is the one that was swept away, perhaps caught in the connection between the two trailers, or propelled by impact.

The lower front section of the bus is sitting just East of the tractor. Various photos show each front wheel seemingly attached to its axle.

The driver's side window is still attached to the upper bus body.

The truck driver seems not to have been seriously injured physically, but mentally he is not doing well. That makes it unlikely the collision point was at or near the cab, which seems to have suffered little damage.

I suspect the bus first impacted the first trailer ahead of the rear axles.

The skid marks at an apparent 45° indicate equal momentum vectors at right angles, but the tractor and two trailers make the momentum solution beyond my understanding of physics. However speeds would be an inverse ratio of whatever masses were in play.

Rollover is common going over the shoulder, but that the first trailer has twisted some 90° illustrates the severe forces at work.

Semi driver charged:
Driver of semi in Humboldt Broncos bus crash faces 29 charges | CBC News

The truck driver has now pleaded guilty to 16 counts of dangerous driving causing death and 13 charges of dangerous driving causing bodily harm. The youngsters were on a bus on their way to a playoff game in the Saskatchewan junior hockey league when he ran the intersection. This statement from the father of one 18-year-old victim is remarkable.

When he said ‘Guilty’, to me, I have my closure,” he said. “If he spends a day, if he spends 10 years, time is irrelevant. He was guilty. He acknowledged that. That’s all I needed to hear. The rest of the sentence doesn’t matter to me. It really doesn’t. It is not going to bring Evan back. I’ve got to spend the rest of my life with it. He’s got to spend the rest of his life with it.”

https://www.theguardian.com/world/20...s-saskatchewan

My guess is that he'll get 8 to 10 years jailtime.