Tour bus operator faces health and safety charges in deadly Icefield crash
Posted May 13, 2022 4:13 pm.
Last Updated May 13, 2022 6:40 pm.
A tour bus operator has been charged in a deadly rollover at the Columbia Icefield in Jasper National Park.
The Alberta government says Brewster Inc. faces eight charges under the Occupational Health and Safety Act related to the use and maintenance of seatbelts, failing to control hazards, and failing to ensure equipment was in safe operating condition.
Three people were killed and 14 others suffered life-threatening injuries on July 18, 2020, when the all-terrain Ice Explorer lost control while carrying passengers on the road to the Athabasca Glacier, a popular Rocky Mountain tourist attraction.
The bus rolled about 50 metres down a moraine embankment before coming to rest on its roof.
A survivor of the crash says the charges give him more information about exactly what happened that day.
Tim James, who also works for our CityNews outlet in Vancouver, says he has no memory of the rollover
“When you look at the charges one of the charges mentions the use and maintenance of seatbelts. There were no seatbelts that we were wearing. Would three more people be alive if there were seatbelts? Would my friend be able to walk if there were seat belts?” said James.
“And so the company has started operating again — the Columbia Icefield [tour bus] company is operating with seatbelts this time,” said James.
James says it’s not celebratory to hear of the charges, he and his friends who were on the bus just want more information about what happened.
Read More:
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RCMP investigation complete, prosecutors have report on fatal Icefield bus rollover
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Icefield rollover survivor who lost wife wants report released
The case is to be in provincial court in Jasper, Alta., on June 23.
A separate RCMP investigation has also concluded and is being reviewed by prosecutors.
–With files from Mark Strashok and The Canadian Press
