‘If the line hadn’t been so long’: Family from Unity was on icefield at time of crash

A father and daughter from Unity are reflecting on a choice they made Saturday in Alberta.

“We are pretty happy we didn’t go on the bus,” Chris Bunz said.

Chris and his daughter Parker were visiting the Columbia Icefield at the time of the crash that killed three people Saturday.

Chris and Parker had planned to visit the icefield as they drove from Jasper to Banff. More than 1.2 million visitors visit the icefield each year, so father and daughter were excited to see it for the first time.

“We would have gone up on the bus if the line hadn’t been so long,” Chris said. “We ended up taking a different route and walking up. It was quite a hike.”

It wasn’t until they were on the ice that they noticed something terrible had happened.

“We noticed the vehicle when we were on the ice. It must have just happened on our walk-up,” Chris said. “Fire trucks, ambulance, police vehicles, helicopters overhead … it was quite the scene.

“Another charter bus showed up to block the view of other buses coming up the mountain at that time. There was still a few more buses on the ice sheet. I don’t imagine they were on there long.”

A 24-year-old woman from Canoe Narrows was confirmed to be one of three people killed in the crash.

The Mounties say the cause of the rollover is unknown, but they can confirm there isn’t any evidence that a rockslide took place before the incident.

“It’s just not something you expect to see,” Chris said. “You look and see this terrible accident. It’s a shame.

“We want to extend our condolences to the families affected.”