Flavio NienowLakes District News
Thirteen Lakes District Secondary School (LDSS) students and one coach were involved in a bus crash on Oct. 14 near Vanderhoof.
The students were on a School District No. 54 (Bulkley Valley) bus with students from Smithers, heading to a rugby tournament in Williams Lake.
The accident took place on Hwy. 16 near Bearhead Road, which is close to Canfor’s Plateau sawmill in Vanderhoof, at approximately 8:30 a.m.
Sgt. Svend Nielsen with the Vanderhoof RCMP said the accident involved the school bus and another vehicle.
“What we know is that the bus entered the ditch, went down a small embankment, crossed another ditch area and then crossed Beahead Road,” said Nielsen. “All the kids are safe.”
According to Manu Madhok, assistant superintendent for School District 91 (Nechako Lakes), there were more than 20 students on the bus. “Kids were assessed at the scene by paramedics,” he described. “Four kids were brought to the hospital by ambulance, and the rest of the students were also brought to the hospital so that kids could be screened.”
“St. John Hospital has done an excellent job screening all of our kids,” he added. “Other than some bumps and bruises they are all fine.”
Representatives from School District 91 were at St. John Hospital in Vanderhoof with the students after the accident. Both Smithers Secondary School and LDSS contacted the students’ parents.
LDSS principal Heide Grant said the trip to Williams Lake was immediately cancelled after the accident and that the students would be transported home once the roads were safe.
School District 91 checked with Drive B.C. and the RCMP to check if the roads were safe to transport the students back to Burns Lake.
Nielsen said the investigation is still ongoing.