RCMP investigate who had right of way in Kerrobert semi, bus crash

It will be several weeks before it’s known how a semi and an old school bus collided outside Kerrobert Friday evening.

“We do believe one of the vehicles had the right of way, but we’re just not too sure or have determined which one had the right of way and which one was supposed to be stopped at this point,” RCMP Corporal Rob King told reporters Saturday afternoon.

(Photo provided by RCMP)

Alcohol is not thought to have been a factor in the crash.

The bus was carrying 16 pipeline workers. Just one of the 10 injured remains in hospital, the company confirmed Saturday.

Paul Stuckless, corporate safety manager for O.J. Pipelines, said the workers were travelling to Kindersley from a worksite when their bus was

struck.

Stuckless said the truck, which was carrying two trailers of canola, hit the bus on its side, sending it spinning into a ditch.

“It was a pretty busy night but we’re looking after everybody,” Stuckless said, noting he did not know the extent of the injuries of the person who remained in hospital.

An RCMP news release said three people were taken to a hospital in Saskatoon by helicopter, and seven others were taken to local hospitals. Four were treated at the scene.

(Photo provided by RCMP)

Chris Bunz said he was driving by and saw the semi-truck in the middle of the intersection and a white bus lying on its side in the shoulder, dented but with windows intact.

“(The semi) looked like it had probably just a little front end damage, and the bus had a little bit of rippling in the side, so I don’t think it was too, too big a collision, but enough to put the bus over,” he told The Canadian Press in a phone interview.

Bunz, a resident of nearby Unity, said the presence of industrial activity, heavy traffic and speeding drivers make the intersection where the crash occurred a particularly dangerous one.

“There’s a lot of equipment parked at the corner; they have a stockpile of dirt and a bunch of equipment too, so it’s kind of distracting because you have that right in that corner and lots of traffic too,” he explained.

Stuckless said four of O.J. Pipelines’ own emergency staff went to the scene and assisted local first responders.

Three combined photos show the intersection of Highway 51/21 and Highway 31. (RCMP)

The crash comes just days after the Humboldt Broncos played their first game since the April collision involving the hockey team’s bus and a transport truck at a rural Saskatchewan highway intersection.

Sixteen people, including 10 players, were killed and 13 players were injured in that crash.

The driver of that truck, Jaskirat Singh Sidhu, is charged with 16 counts of dangerous driving causing death and 13 counts of dangerous driving causing bodily injury.

Sidhu, who was not hurt in the crash, was released on $1,000 bail in July under conditions he not drive and that he surrender his passport.

— With files from The Canadian Press