A school bus carrying six children on the way to Bowden Grandview School was struck at the intersection of highways 42 and 54 by a pickup truck on May 26 around 8:30 a.m.
No one was injured in the collision that involved three vehicles.
The Innisfail RCMP detachment reconstructed the collisions with the assistance of the Innisfail Integrated Traffic Unit, Town of Innisfail Peace Officers and the Red Deer Collision Reconstruction Unit.
“A northbound 42 Avenue pickup truck crossing Highway 54 was struck by a westbound Highway 54 maintenance van that sent the pickup truck into a school bus stopped at a stop sign on the opposite side of the intersection,” said Staff Sgt. Chris Matechuk. “The driver of the pickup truck, a 79-year-old Innisfail man was charged with failing to proceed safely after stopping at an intersection.”
Kurt Sacher, Chinook's Edge School Division superintendent, said there were four high school and two elementary students in the bus on their way to Bowden's Grandview School.
“There was slight damage to the bus's bumper so the students were transferred to another vehicle as per regulations,” said Sacher. “The accident gave us a good opportunity to check our safety protocols and procedures. Our bus driver did exactly what he was supposed to do, and as per our protocols, we sent out our safety officer to check the situation out.”
He added he was “glad the students were safe,” and that they were able to deal with the situation smoothly.
