100 Mile House bus crash drivers won’t face criminal charges: RCMP

The BC Highway Patrol announced Friday that the drivers involved in a fatal school bus crash in northern B.C. will not face criminal charges.

On June 21, one person died after a crash caused a school bus to run down an embankment off Highway 97 north of 100 Mile House.

Police explained that a good Samaritan, a man in his 70s, stopped to help the victims of the bus crash but was struck and killed by the driver of an SUV on the highway.

“There was a subsequent collision on the highway where a pedestrian was struck by a vehicle. BC Emergency Health Services attended the scene, but despite lifesaving efforts, the person did not survive,” said Corp. Melissa Jongema.

BCHP confirmed that “the pedestrian was not related to the bus.”

In an update Friday, Mounties say they have met with the many victims — including 31 children and four adults — to explain how the collision “was a tragic accident with no criminality.”

“BC Highway Patrol wrote search warrants, reviewed in-car computers and video evidence, took witness statements, and carefully examined the scene,” said Corp. Michael McLaughlin.

He says the school bus driver was the subject of a medical event, and there were no signs of impairment, carelessness, or distraction from the driver of the SUV. 

“The 60-year-old driver of the school bus, a Cariboo resident, is still recovering from serious injuries. She will not be charged with any offences,” McLaughlin explained.

“The SUV driver could not see the aftermath of the bus collision due to a bend in the highway, and the driver’s last-second efforts to evade the pedestrian did not work.”

Police say the school district has provided counsellors for the affected students.