How the Humboldt bus crash happened

[@horsepro123]

The fact that someone lives on that farm there and probably saw the accident first hand is terrifying. Rest in peace boys. Humboldt Strong!

[@vinnie2033]

The trucker most likely ran the stop sign. The trees don't matter, but the rules of the road do.

[@TheCapo1970]

Investigation will most likely prove that the truck driver was speeding due to pressured delivery schedule & / or most likely fell asleep at the wheel due to excessive over time History , totally justified that both truck driver with his employer should be held accountable to the fullest extent of the LAW for transport violations negligence & driver rotation endangerment to the public as well.

[@donkeyballs3307]

The trucker was fully investigated & released , obviously not his fault , cops don't let u go , if u just killed 15 people in an accident ,the dead bus drivers to blame , or the trucker would b in jail as I speak , but he's not

[@tommorin6195]

joe momma truck ran stop sign not bus drivers fault your not funny grow up pls

[@michaelcatbagan9186]

If he blew the stop sign, he should be in jail. Sure. The truck had a stop sign. The bus did not. Truck had 20 to 30 foot trees on LEFT SIDE. Bus had those SAME TREES on RIGHT side. So it is very possible that one or the other or even BOTH did not see eachother approaching the intersection. BOTH highways have 100 KMPH speed limits. Truck had warning signs to stop, the bus did not. The bus did not have to yeild. The truck was likely carrying a heavy load. Those type trucks don't accelerate quickly either. Driver of truck is uninjured and was released from Hospital and was released by police after questioning. He is undergoing counciling. Front of truck (from pictures) is where collision did not happen. It was the bed of truck and the front of the bus where it made contact. Skid marks were probably from the truck because it's a heavy load and it wasn't going in direction of wheel spin. Does bus have ABS braking? From photos can't see tire marks in direction bus was going. Investigators can look at bus cockpit to see if lights were on or not. Unsure if daytime running lights are equipped in this model bus. If truck blew the stop sign, investigators can look at the truck gears. Manual? Automatic? Was it on high gear if it was going 100KM an hour? Also the surrounding plains are snow white. The load the truck was carrying (a different color) doesn't have the best reflection nor contrasting (red bags would be more visible vs. The aqua color per video) as the colors of environment the bus driver was used to. Many variables to look at. A very tragic event. This is a time to morn and grieve. I don't think investigators and RCMP will let public know of what they already know or what the truck driver has said, yet. Emotions are high and its just best to take care of everyone involved and connected first.

[@michaelcatbagan9186]

Get Good exact! Passport taken. License taken. Anything to prevent him from fleeing.. or at risk of not returning for investigation..

[@Josh-mh3kl]

The truck driver knows exactly what happened. For a semi truck to roll over like that, speed was a factor. I think he was distracted and went through the stop sign.

[@HughJorgan1]

And he also missed the pre-warning sign a kilometer prior indicating "stop sign ahead".

[@bvyup2112]

@john dowd It's pretty amazing he could steer all that weight on trailer while asleep. He wasn't asleep. He was distracted.

[@andrewleeming2028]

He was high I believe

[@rorcombatarms]

He wasn’t under the influence. Truck driver was distracted and the bus driver was speeding

[@sjames304]

@@rorcombatarms Blames the bus when the truck blew the stop sign......you're a scumbag.

[@ChaseHybridCanada]

I've been at that intersection multiple times since 1960 ... Many tines as I was born & resided nearby. It's POSSIBLE .. that driving straight west on a road a novice driver that is unfamiliar with with the area with today's driving skills didn't see the "big picture " & the STOP sign within it & blew non stop through the intersection. If this was the case the bus driver would have little time to take defensive action. IF .. The driver slowed to a near stop or complete stop, & pulled out in front of the bus ... I feel there would have been time for a defensive manoeuvre. EITHER WAY, the truck is at fault but I believe driving in general has decreased in skill & respect in the past few decades with SPEED being accepted. In wake of this tragedy, all Canadians should hold our FEDERAL government to implement a national licensing program where ALL CANADIANS drive under the same rules. Canada must take control of our roads & everyone on them.

[@dusty1355]

I read most of the comments on here. On the news tonight it said the driver only had 15 days of training, 15 f'ing days people!! If you don't think the accident was his fault then you need to open your eyes. Yes, he's foreign and probably came to Canada just to work with his cousin. He did not have the experience to be on the road by himself driving a truck as large as that. My brother just retired from driving a truck after 44 years and he's been ranting ever since he heard how much experience this guy had. It's very upsetting to know that those people could all still be alive if this man hadn't been allowed to drive. That's my 2 cents.

[@glennpritchard274]

Look at who owned the company, says a lot.

[@frienda315]

As a Canadian driver, I drove with intensive caution when going pass any intersections most often inside a residential area that has houses to block the drivers'view, when I have absolute road right, I slow down a bit and watch closely to go through the intersection with full mind ready to get a full stop in the case a bald car fail to watch and dash in the intersection, assuming stupid and careless drivers are everywhere and I am not putting my fafety to others being careful and responsible. Slowing down to go through the intersection when one has the view blocked full or partiap is a natural reaction, You know what I kept telling my family members and my friends, one is responsible for ones own safety first, it is the stupidest to rely your safety to ohhers responsibility. When one is driving, asuming all other drivers are not careful and likely to make stupid mistakes; when one is walking, assuming all drivers are blind.

[@AnMadreMor]

First I would like to extend my condolences to the families and players of the victims of the Humboldt tragedy. It will take some time to heal from this tragedy that claimed the lives and futures of the players and staff of the Humboldt Broncos. I know as I lost my father in an accident when I was 15, I am turning 70 and believe me there is not a day that goes by that I don't think of him and relive the "what if's" but life has to go on. I still get depressed especially around Father's Day when I see the Dads with their sons doing things together and know it never will happen for me. When I was young I tried the booze to drown out the pain but all that did was to cost me my wife and other failed relationships. My solace came in the form of man's best friend. I have had dogs for as long as I can remember. My current one a Labradoodle seems to sense when I'm depressed and she grabs her lease off of the doorknob and brings it over to me and we hit the trail for an hour or so. My Dr tells me that it is excellent therapy for me. So to the families and victims when The "What ifs" start to creep in ...get help be it counseling ,support groups ,whatever because if you don't..... the pain of your loss well send you on a path of no return. We have a corner similar to that one in our area and after countless accidents [some fatal] someone in government finally sobered up and said lets put a 4-Way stop at that corner and rumble strips at the approaches to the stop signs. They did and I believe that it has cut the accident rate significantly there. One thing that I like about the rural stop signs here in Alberta and I do a lot of night driving is that they are solar powered and have a ring of flashing red lights framing the stop sign and can be seen from a long ways down the highway. As far as the trees at that corner and they are are on the the property of the farmer at that corner as they are a shelter belt for his farm and helps cut the noise of the Jake brakes of the semi's stopping especially at night and as long as they [the trees] are the correct distance from the adjoining highways he should be within his rights to have them. My only advice to all the people who drive the country highways and roads is to think and plan ahead when taking a trip is that.. It's better to be 10 minutes late in this world..... than 10 minutes early in the next. Thanks for reading .

[@davehuckleberry9869]

The semi ran a stop sign. Period.

[@KB-fw9ce]

Traveling west into the sun, and possibly blinded by the glare of the setting sun. The trees obscure the view of the intersection, neither the truck nor the bus saw each other until it was too late.

[@gerardtaylor4994]

I agree...

[@zacm9174]

I dunno, i'm not convinced he did. I just checked out street view and he may have stopped, looked that it was clear and went however it takes a long time to get a fully laden rig up to speed in which case he would have been in the intersection a long time and he would not have seen the bus as it would have been travelling at typical highway speeds and would have been hidden by the trees. A case of poor visibility and just bad timing methinks.

[@jobe4279]

Clearly the BUS DRIVER wanted to commit suicide, possibly a murder-suicide. There's no skid marks whatsoever on the highway going north and the BUS DRIVER t-boned the trailer. Not the other way around as there is no damage on the front of the semi-truck. It's possible that the semi truck ran the stop sign but clearly the BUS Driver wanted to die that day.

[@tommorin6195]

Attn you tube pls suspend this clown Jo be he is out of line speaking ill if the of the deceased . Accusing him of homicide. Clown

[@tonycharanduk133]

If you care to know the truth about what happend, he totally blew the stop sign at full speed. The bus hit the first trailer head on and because of the Semi's speed the second trailer jack knifed and cut the bus in half. That is from very reliable first hand sources and the pictures back that up. Just because somone else died there dosnt change his stupid mistake and carelessness! Its crimminal what he did.

[@tonycharanduk133]

The Bus was going straight at full speed. The bus hit the first trailer as the semi was going full speed.

[@jtmachete]

He should have been charged that night and detained. Probably back home in India, never to be prosecuted. RCMP should be ashamed for keeping this hidden due to political correctness.

[@bvyup2112]

I would hope that hes on a no fly list considering he is in some pretty serious shit as of now

[@amandaboughner5490]

How do you know he's from India?

[@bvyup2112]

I don't, I figured they did. It is probably good odds, but I think they are just making assumptions.

[@Notesofcitrus]

I grew up passing this intersection all the time since my dad's family lives up around there, and it's already known to be incredibly unsafe due to a family being in a fatal accident there a couple decades back (see: the crosses at 1:03). Felt absolutely sick to my stomach when I heard about this crash and where it happened and I just KNEW it was this intersection. I'm horrified they didn't cut down the trees at the first accident, and it makes me so mad that now we have at least 20 fatalities in this same spot.

[@HughJorgan1]

Since you know the intersection... do you know if there's rumble strips prior to the stop signs? If not, it's shocking there isn't...particularly due to the prior fatalities. On google earth I can see there's signs warning of the upcoming stop at the intersection going E-W... but I don't see rumble strips.

[@roscosart1888]

Yeah I agree, those trees need to be cut down especially on that high km road. It might even give the bus driver (short amount of time) to spot truckers who run stop signs from there right. At least show signs of visibility awareness to step on the brakes faster or to swerve but "rules are rules" and we obey. @ hugh jorgan... I agree there should be rumble strips along that road to signal stop, just in case someone fell asleep or is not aware. So sad unfortunately.

[@properhooligans8361]

yah

[@simoncowell9218]

I took this road once to get too tisdale, wow...

[@KB-fw9ce]

The thing is the truck was driving west into the sun and may have been blinded by the glare. The corner is blind for those traveling north and west due to the trees obstructing the view. If the trees were not there, at least the bus might have seen the truck approaching and took defensive action to avoid the crash. But the bus absolutely would not see the truck approaching until it was literally too late. It should be illegal to plant trees in such a manner that it ends up blinding or obscuring a major highway intersection. Rumble strips would help, but those trees need to go!

[@yvonlarocque4858]

im sory but the stop sign was and is still there....in my mind there is no excuse period!!

[@gl4989]

What are the excuses ?

[@abdullahelwan405]

Hope that you don’t run a stop sign!

[@ClintMarshall72]

And that's why there's a stop sign there that the semitruck driver must have ran.

[@tocrob]

Clint Marshall - There are also a few crosses at that intersection (fatalities). That's why they should remove the big "blind spot" by removing all the trees at that intersection.

[@richardallonzo6734]

There was a 'Stop sign ahead' warning approx 2000 metres before and the stop sign itself had a red flasher. Driving in rural Sask. requires an extra measure of intersection awareness including rail crossings which is understood by professionals and soccer moms alike. Timelines indicate that the sun was 2 hours and 40 mins from setting and not low enough to be a visual hazard even in the remarks of eye witnesses. The trees do not mean anything except a remote possibility that the bus might have had a slight heads up. However there are millions of miles of roads lined by trees in our nation. Running of the stop sign is most obvious and I'd like to know if texting or any other form of visual distraction was at play? Does anyone with local knowledge know if rumble strips are in use?

[@shelley9955]

I can’t believe we’re debating this, there were 16 lives lost none of this matters. These humans had families who will grieve their passing until the day they pass to be with their loved ones. Please don’t do this, it happened we can’t take it back. I work EMS don’t do this to me or any of one directly affected, we have families and we love the families in the community we work in. None of this matters we are all people, all Canadians love each other and lift one another up!

[@islandaerial3414]

You have answered more questions than ALL of the MSM combined in 1:43. Thanks!

[@NPTNReddek]

But this is all wrong, the truck blew the stop sign, and if you look closer you can see there’s a clear view of the road and the trees have nothing to do with it

[@luim0924]

oh, how i pray the truck driver does NOT read these comments. The guilt he already feels must be astronomical. We can speculate all we want, but let's remember that the investigation has not be concluded yet. We are not aware of all the facts yet. He does not need to read our unfactual blaming.

[@solidnem]

Lois MacKenzie, Quoted for truth. Everyone's playing Sherlock Holmes, which is fuelling everyone else's anger and hate towards the driver.

[@HughJorgan1]

I agree we must consider the semi driver's tragedy as well... and he'll live with this the rest of his life. But people are just looking at the facts. The bus sustained a "t-bone" type impact. And it had the right of way. So it's just hard to imagine any scenario where the semi isn't at fault.

[@sheiladodds4186]

Amen

[@soapboxearth2]

he ran the stop sign

[@maddy_levinsonand_shaw759]

Btw, the mid-section of the trailer was T-boned by the bus (not the other way around) There are two scenarios I can think of given the clear roads and skies. 1/ Air-brake failure. It happens. (That's why they put runaway lanes on hilly terrain) 2/ Possibly, the semi driver was looking for a good, safe opening to turn left and proceed SB between two legs of oncoming traffic. He possibly saw an oncoming bus so far down the road to his left that he believed he had plenty of time to make a safe left turn. However, and this happens to me sometimes (charter driver), an approaching speeder way off to the right in the SB lane sees a truck pulling into the intersection in front of him and realizes that he will have to slow down and follow a truck SB at lower speeds for a klick or two -- doesn't want to be behind a truck -- and so he "floors it" to prevent the truck from completing a safe left hand turn. Truck forced to brake in mid-intersection as a result. Meanwhile a fast approaching bus to the left in the NB lane, possibly speeding or distracted, fails to slow down for a truck turning in front of him. Possibly. I've seen close calls like this many times before. Not suggesting this is what happened here though. Personally, I believe it's probable that poor judgement and/or negligence by the trucker caused this.

[@Devesci]

The bus had right of way. It looks like the truck driver blew the stop sign.

[@supporiagillam7030]

bs

[@Devesci]

What do you mean bs? The bus was on the main highway and the Alberta government pulled the trucking company's license. I only made an observation.

[@Devesci]

Well MK, you may be be right about the absence of a stop sign, but that would be an incredible anomaly. Even dirt roads have stop signs on them. I watched the video again and around the 39 second mark; I think I see what looks like a stop sign over by the light standard (near the middle of the screen, a little to the left).

[@mikespillman3075]

....and there is a stop sign, so we are all on the same page here.....whats more importand here, is the physics of this accident.....look where the bus ends up after the impact....west of the intersection.....by ALOT.....huge change in direction for the bus.....if the truck had stopped, he wouldn't have been moving very fast, not only would a truck just grabbing the first couple of gears after having stopped be going slow, it would have very little inertia, the bus had the momentum, that after hitting the truck it would have strayed very little from its original path, somewhat to the left after impact, but very little. but that bus makes a huge change in direction after the impact, indicating that the truck HAD to be traveling w/b at a fairly high rate of speed in order to hit that bus and change its direction THAT much.....no, that truck had momentum and intertia enough to hit that bus and change its direction SO MUCH, that the bus ended up making an almost 90 degree change of direction to the west and settling just north of the shoulder, west of the intersection. pretty much accident reconstruction 101....when the investigation is complete I am confident THAT is what they will conclude. Sad.....heartbreaking. for ALL involved.

[@larryhouse2767]

Guarentee the truck blew through the sign. You can tell he was travelling with sufficient speed because the wreck came to a rest well into the northwest field. If the truck was going slow the wreck would have went straight up the north highway with the bus. And the bis driver would have had much more time to react. The bus driver would have had no obstruction from sunlight and would have been able to easily see a slow semi creeping out. At the time of the accident, the sunlight could have played a factor in the trucker missing the stop sign.

[@ManJO601]

Big MISTAKE the Truck driver had to stop at his stop sign and HE DID NOT!! Charge truck driver with MANSLAUGHTER x15 PERIOD!!

[@bobloblaw1965]

If the truck stopped at the STOP sign, the trees do NOT block the road. You have a clear view of the road. SO this does NOT explain why the crash happened AT ALL does it? Don't quit your day job to become a crash scene analyst, you aren't observant enough!!!

[@tocrob]

Bob Loblaw - if the trees weren't there, the bus driver could have seen that the large moving truck was not stopping and could have avoided the crash ( or reduce the impact).

[@bobloblaw1965]

That is not WHY the crash happened! The truck is required by LAW to STOP. Why did it not? Did he not see the stop sign? Was he dozing off? Was he distracted on his phone? Were there white out conditions at the time?

[@bobloblaw1965]

It's a bad spot no doubt about it. The trees probably contributed but doesn't explain why the truck missed the sign. A family of 5 was killed there a while ago also, there are crosses in the ditch for a memorial to them.

[@madisongerow-rice2046]

the semi driver had said the reason they crashed is being the “sun was in my eyes” it’s so terrible. I hate how some people think it’s a joke

[@chellebebuy]

Exactly. It's irrelevant if there's a sky scraper on that corner. The semi was to COMPLETELY STOP and the bus had the RIGHT of WAY.

[@MrRF007]

I think the driver deliberately ran the stop sign and the trees block his view from seeing the bus. (and the trees block the bus driver from stopping for the truck) The roads were dry with no snow or fog on Friday evening and the sunsets at 7:51 PM so the sun was still fairly high in the sky (not directly in his eyes) What a tragic mistake he made! So sad. I’m guessing charges will be laid against him.

[@ChuckBeefOG]

Truck driver was only driving for that company one month (the owner operator business itself is only a few months old). They were already fined once for over-hours in their extremely short Canadian driving career.....

[@futureboy7372]

Check the phones for activity prior to accident

[@futureboy7372]

If you run a stop sign and kill people their must be charges otherwise this is a messed up country

[@gerardtaylor4994]

If it is found this driver/operator did not obey the Flashing RED Light and STOP sign. He should be charged with fifteen counts of Vehicular Manslaughter. This truck driver is a class A-Z Driver and should know the Rules of Driving. It is his JOB to know!

[@RobHolgaterobbiestees-graphics]

If the semi had stopped at the stop sign and being fully loaded would have taken time to build up speed and even if he impacted the coach would have saved lives.The force of that impact was an indication of him blowing through the stop not paying attention.

[@seanmorrison9973]

I’m sry, but the only way those trees become a factor is if the semi driver was taking a chance on nobody coming and not making a complete stop at the intersection. If this were to happen in a city would you tear down the house on the corner?

[@ALuimes]

Sean Morrison: "If this were to happen in a city would you tear down the house on the corner?" With death being seen as so much more tragic than in the past and safety advocates being so militant, maybe they will call for that someday--after someone MIGHT be rushing a yellow unseen behind a building.

[@tmi-america7615]

That's a good start as far as showing where it happened. Had this person looked a little closer and done a more professional video (which I may do in a couple days on my own channel) they would have also shown the stop signs which the truck PROBABLY ran. The bus had no stop signs. IF you look at the aerial photos and video footage available on many web sites, such as CBC who is refusing to explain obvious evidence from their OWN footage and photos (and which RCMP is covering up because they are making a case and do not want to expose said EVIDENCE to the general public or potential jury members), you will NOTE five KEY things: (A) The truck cab is not damaged from any head on impact (which is why the driver got out with minor injuries only), (B) the first 1/3 of the front of the bus pretty much exploded on impact killing anyone in the first few rows of seats, (C) the rear engine compartment of the bus is far less damaged, (D) the final resting place of the damaged vehicles was in the NW area of the intersection (bus traveled north, truck travel west... per RCMP reports... laws of physic prevail), (E) the flat bed of the truck shows obvious impact damage and is bent and twisted as a result (imagine the side of a steel beam flatbed coming through your large bus windshield at 100KPH). All of this simple physical EVIDENCE adds up to exactly one thing... The truck moved in front of the bus and was hit broadside. What it does NOT prove, but which may also have been reported on by now, is whether the truck ran the stop signs or stopped first, where the driver should have seen the bus coming, before pulling out in front of the bus? In either case it will eventually be shown in court or otherwise that the truck driver was at fault... and probably ran the stop sign... even though the trees (as pointed out in this video) blocked the driver's view. If the driver stopped, it is POSSIBLE that the truck driver’s side mirrors blocked the driver's view of the oncoming bus; and the bus driver should have seen the truck pulling out, hit their brakes and laid on the horn before crashing (probably did not happen that way as no skid marks to indicate the bus driver hit the brakes... some survivors may eventually tell us if that was the case or not)? So far no such questions asked or answered. BTW, the trees only block the view of a driver going west bound IF they do not stop and look each way. Otherwise, running that stop sign while driving WEST bound is a BIG RISK. One last thing. Because of the blind spot/trees this should have been a 4 way stop from day one. Had it been the bus probably would have stopped even with a truck running the west bound stop sign; and we would not be talking about who did it. Wait and see and eventually EVERYTHING I am pointing out will be explained in the news, once the media learns to investigate facts on their own vs. repeating BS we already know about sadness, etc., etc...

[@freakerss]

That is nearly the exact same conclusion I came to. The only thing else would be that the truck was moving slowly, IF the truck completely blew through the stop sign the damage and debris field from the much momentum should be much larger (I would think), which we don't see.

[@jobe4279]

TMI-America Bus driver probably wanted to die that day.

[@tmi-america7615]

Jo Be An ASS Hole. Buzz off slug bait.

[@jobe4279]

TMI-America You obviously missed my comments and explanation on a different comment i left which describes a plausible conclusion to this horrific event is that the Bus Driver may have wanted to commit suicide.

[@tmi-america7615]

Jo Be And maybe the truck driver wanted to kill himself too...

[@nicoles2289]

I still dont understand why with the trees being positioned where they were, they wouldn't install a stop sign going North.

[@noahelliott5458]

From what I've heard, a friend of the truck driver said that the sun was setting and as he was headed west the sun was in his eyes and he didn't see the stop sign.

[@jasongamer8649]

So that means the semi either blew a stop sign, or couldn't stop, what were road conditions like?

[@rolan15as51]

Jason Gamer yes the driver of the semi ran the stop sign. Not information other than though.

[@tocrob]

or the bus was speeding. If you're going down a 100km/h road (SK 35 there) at 130km/h, other drivers are going to miscalculate your positions.

[@richardnevermore8536]

Then why did they end up on the east side of the road?

[@nooGani]

Richard Nevermore they didn't? They ended up on the north west side of the road.

[@maddy_levinsonand_shaw759]

Very true. Particularly on rural highways where RCMP are not abundant. I am NOT suggesting the bus driver was speeding but as part of the investigation they will look into that possibility because I can tell you as a professional charterdriver I see speeding by Charter buses *ALL* the time. Speed might have been a contributing factor. Also, people LIKE to converse with us bus drivers. This is a distraction and sometimes can occur at the worst possible time.

[@susannels4884]

Please don't presume anything. There has been no official release as to what exactly happened.

[@maeganbyerley]

The trees were not the issue. The issue was the truck driver not following the road signs meaning he blew right threw the stop sign with a flashing light. How the driver didn't see that sign is beyond me.

[@kellymelnechenko7283]

For those who think the trees were a factor think again! There would be accidents at 40% of all Canadian intersections we live amongst trees everywhere the major contributing factor of the crash was poor driving etiquette! Stop signs are red for a reason, so we all stop and proceed with caution! Have you ever seen how people drive in India? They have no rules,well we are in Canada now and we have these rules implemented for a reason so those who come from there can and should adhere to our rules of the road tragedies like this should not happen in rural Canada take a driving course here they will teach you that a stop sign means stop!and those who do otherwise should be criminally prosecuted for each and every innocent life taken,R.I.P. Our loved hockey stars 🏒

[@NeoRipshaft]

holy crap, I mean I'm glad you put in the effort but holy crap you looked everywhere but where everyone would want you to look - which is what the truck driver saw... which as everyone has pointed out - was a stop sign.

[@johnnystormboy]

Huh? That comment made absolutely no sense at all. Can someone translate this please?

[@poppafiveone]

From a personal experience. I saw the car coming from my left because of an open field. I realised he wasn't going to stop and locked up the brakes leaving over 10 meters, (30 ft), of skid marks as measured by the OPP. The drag of the braking slowed me enough that I went into the side of his car and wasn't in front of him. However, that does not excuse the carelessness of not stopping at the stop sign. Do I not see a yellow box with flashing red light on the top of the stop sign??????????

[@derekgrawberger7586]

I'm still having trouble trying to wrap my head around why they keep saying they are still "investigating" the cause of the crash... Like seriously, it doesn't take a rocket scientist to see what happened.. He blew the stop sign and the bus had no time to react to it. The only time the trees played in this accident was that because they were there the bus couldn't see the semi trailer blowing the stop sign to till last second. Anyone that is blaming the trees for this accident is being ridiculous... Go for a ride anywhere in the country.. There's trees everywhere at intersections. The driver blew the sign, investigation over! The only other thing that could come into play is possibly the glare of the sun from driving directly west at that time.. But at 5pm the sun should not have been much of an issue, it wouldn't be that low on the horizon yet at that point. Sorry but the guy should be charged.. Case closed!

[@batt7945]

The trees are like 40 feet back not even a factor in my mind

[@wolfhowl5691]

I agree. The trees look to me too like they're a ways back from the corner. Anyway, since when do you drive solely by sight of oncoming traffic at an intersection? That's why they have SIGNS - to read and to obey. Apparently the stop sign the trucker went thru also had flashing lights ... how do you miss that? I figure either he fell asleep at the wheel - even only briefly for seconds - or else he couldn't be 'bothered' to come to a full stop because of all the gearing down and then up again to start. ...Maybe assumed the highway was pretty desolate so figured he could ignore the stop sign with no risk? In any case, I do know that they are too quick to award a truck driving licence to just anybody - particularly to 'new' Canadians - that's not being racist, that's fact. It is new Canadians starting up trucking businesses and hiring other new Canadians to drive them, many of whom go thru a very brief training and end up on the road without enough experience, which puts everyone at risk. Either way, he has to live with this the rest of his life, and that's his sentence to himself. He still should be accountable for his negligence and endangerment, if indeed it was his negligence that caused it.

[@RuffinItAB]

The reason they’re a problem is because the bus driver wouldn’t have been able to see the truck coming at speed earlier and react in a defensive way

[@derekbignell823]

I have heard it all, If the trees were not there the truck driver would have seen the bus or the bus driver would have seen the truck. If there were rumble strips on the road it would have alerted the truck driver that there was a STOP sign at the corner with a flashing red light and that he should bring the rig to a stop. The speed limit on Hwy 335 is 70 km/h look at the carnage truck could have been going 70 mph.

[@Supe063]

Everyone needs to shut the hell up. You've ALL driven while texting or have taken your eyes off the road while driving. You've all made mistakes. You're all just lucky that something like this didn't happen to you while YOU were driving. I drive truck and I see you every day .... ALL DAY. Phone on your lap. Eyes down at the screen. Distracted by one thing or another. Makingbad judgement calls. Now is the time to shut up and think. Think about how YOU can be better. How YOU can learn from this. It was a simple mistake or lapse in judgement that caused this horrific accident and at any moment it could be YOU causing the same thing. So far you have just been lucky.

[@rosestewart1606]

Supe063 I can honestly say drivers in Nova Scotia and especially in Halifax have improved remarkably since Friday. They're actually obeying the speed limit in the city.

[@steveclaptonfan9657]

Spoken like a trucker making apologies for another trucker. Fuck you.

[@Supe063]

Steve Clapton fan ...... While I can certainly understand that this story stirs up a lot of emotion and you feel it necessary to direct your anger at my comment (which is not in any way excusing the truck driver of whatever he did or didn't do since there has been no charges made against him), you also need to grow up. My message was simply to pray that the next time YOU make a mistake it only affects you. And for the record ... not only am I a truck driver, I am also a father and a hockey coach.

[@TH-tl6sy]

Nope, I've never blown a stop sign or a stop light in my life. I've never texted while driving. So yeah, probably shouldn't speak for everyone else.

[@trevorwilson2316]

Supe063 Speak for yourself

[@robertfriesen8271]

No answer in this video on whether the bus struck the side of the semi or the semi hit the side of the bus Also if the semi driver had obeyed the traffic signals which were clearly visible and had stopped and looked both ways before proceeding thru the intersection there would have been no accident

[@mattevans5812]

The debris field scatter tells the story and that truck was FLYING! The bus driver had no chance to stop as that truck and 2 trailers came barrelling through without warning because of the trees hiding the fast moving truck. The police know the cause of this they're just trying to buy some time before telling everyone so the poor East Indian driver doesn't get lynched. It wasn't malicious. He's told by his boss to drive farther than he should every day or get sent back to India and that means driving too long and too fast and that's how he missed the flashing red sign - exhaustion.

[@rosestewart1606]

Matt Evans I don't think the police will say more until they're ready to lay charges. But most of it will come out in court. You're right. We all know what happened here.

[@TopCheese81]

What do the trees have 2 do with the fact that the driver of the semi blew through a stop sign?

[@tomasito8893]

Those trees have nothing to do with this . Someone didn't stop...

[@KHITT99]

I have reviewed video and pics so many times and I believe the Truck was stopped at the intersection and because it was 5PM, the sun would have been directly in his eyes heading West. Bus was in his blindspot and I believe the bus driver was not paying attention till it was too late. The bus hit towards the back of the trailer which spun it around it to where it ended up...If you keep reviewing video and pics over and over, you will see the end result. Thank God the truck driver survived so he may answer to what happened...If he tells the truth or lies to save his own ass will be the question.

[@maddy_levinsonand_shaw759]

Sun set at 7:40pm Friday. Collision occurred at 5pm. So the sun was still nearly 3 hours above the horizon and not directly in his eyes. He was already travelling WB on 335 for several Km by that point so he should have been using a visor or sunglasses if it was an issue.

[@KHITT99]

Maddy Shaw really...it is April and the Sun is still setting lower in Spring than summer...Maybe drive West at 5pm and you will see...Sunset at 8:15 has nothing to do with where the Sun is visualized at 5pm!

[@tocrob]

The sun was ~25 degree from the horizon and ~25 degree south of west from the truck driver's perspective heading west. The bus was coming from the south to the truck driver's left. Put it another way, the sun was ~65 degree to the right of the bus and ~25 degree from the horizon from the truck driver's perspective just behind the intersection.

[@gabrielklassen]

What about the STOP 🛑 sign that was there and the flashing stop 🛑 light 💡 hello !!!!

[@HughJorgan1]

It's a tragedy that was avoidable. The semi driver missed TWO stops signs, not one. There's a 'stop sign ahead' sign a kilometer or so prior to the intersection. I can't tell on google earth if there's also rumble strips leading up to the stop, like there should be. Does anyone know if there's rumble strips prior to the stop signs?

[@jorda.2412]

hugh jorgan no there is not rumbles... but a flashing light over the stop sign, and a stop ahead a km before that

[@jtmachete]

Driver probably back in India by now, knowing 15 charges of criminal negligence causing death coming his way. I hope the RCMP at least took his passport.

[@jtmachete]

Correction...16 counts...just released, Dayna Brons, team therapist, died today.

[@your_pet_goldfish6750]

It's so sad that things like this happen in life

[@matthewgregg3979]

There's no guarantee the truck blew the stop sign. He could have stopped, somehow not seen the bus when he looked (maybe sun in his eyes), then carried on across the intersection. Remember, the front of the truck is not damaged. The bus hit the truck, not the other way around. It's still probable that the truck is at fault for crossing in front of the bus. We know the bus had right of way but the truck may have stopped at the stop sign initially and then carried on...

[@goalie2998]

Regardless of cause its a tragedy. Rest in peace to all the lost . May their families find peace, and support from the community.

[@Quesnel4X4]

For the semi to hit with that force obviously he didn't stop at the stop sign. He was loaded, and would only be moving at 2kph when hitting the bus. Certainly not what happened. He was going so fast he destroyed the bus and cartwheeled his truck. This would only have happened if he didn't bother stopping at all.

[@brucewightman5168]

THE BUS HIT THE TRAILER DUDE

[@AtkoYo]

I can see a quite evident stop sign with a flasher there for the truck driver.

[@mylesd.j.standish7956]

So I live in a heavily forested part of north eastern Ontario, amd we have trees on both sides of all our highways. The trees are 10 meters from the road on either side, that's it. When you combine the rock cuts we have, you have even more visual obstructions. And yet we don't have that many accidents of this nature. So what's the lesson? You obey the road rules, trees or no trees.

[@d32942]

Where is the yield sign?? Both drivers bus and truck must reduce speed when come to intersection always cover brake in case of emergency

[@machashoona9124]

How can that be? There needs to be a better explanation about the crash.

[@25987489]

What do the trees have to do with the stop sign?? You STOP at a stop sign, ESPECIALLY if your view is obstructed

[@mdayeh9712]

The picture of the accident explains everything, the front end of the bus is damaged and the front end of the truck is not, what does that tell you? The truck ran through the stop sign. Simple as that

[@ChallengedspeciesNet]

Ever heard of a stop sign, you might want to look up how they work.

[@jeffbryan3224]

Why was there no rumble strips installed 20 years ago?

[@Pipes570]

The semi hit the bus carrying both vehicles to the far side of the intersection on his direction of travel, therefore the semi never even slowed down, it ignored the sign that warned that a stop sign was ahead and ignored the stop sign itself.

[@JustSpike1]

The trees were not blocking at all. You can still see through then and there is enough road after the trees to see anything coming.

[@The66Leadfoot]

Were these trees blocking the STOP sign?

[@danjohnston9473]

"The trucker most likely ran the stop sign. The trees don't matter, but the rules of the road do." . Vinnie's comment from 3 days ago. First of all we don't know everything yet. Was the sun a factor? I drove to Humboldt on Saturday, returning to Edmonton last night. At one point in front of us was a semi wandering to the right, far enough that he had passed the rumble strips and was approaching the shoulder, then wandered left, far enough that he was practically in the left lane. We didn't know if it was safe to pass or not. After it appeared he was staying in his lane we passed. I looked in the cab of the semi and the driver was looking down at his crotch area. We all know that means he was on a cellphone. Three years ago I went through an intersection on a motorcycle on a clear green light. Someone blew through the light to my right. No horn, no brakes, no swerving. I had to gun it to get out of the way. People, we have to make driving a full time job, not part time with distractions. I give up on criminal charges because they never stop the next offense from happening. I don't know what the answer is but nothing we've tried so far has worked. As for the trucker, any criminal conviction will be a joke compared to the torture he'll put himself through in his own mind for the rest of his life.

[@dubwilkinson1341]

just look at the pictures shown you are not looking at a bus truck crash but a STAGED scene

[@frienda315]

If there was one distracted I would say more likely it was the bus driver. No point blaming, just makes more sense to explain based on the view. The bus driver should have some seconds at least to react accordingly to seize a remedy if he was watching focusely. Look at the mess some people described similar to an airplane crash.

[@gukaizhi]

The bus is travelling on the 35. No stop there. The truck has a stop to do on the 335. The bus hit full speed de side of the truck, which explains why the truck driver is not to much hurt and the front of the bus is completely destroyed. I believe the truck was travelling full speed and didn't make or didn't see the stop sign. It's very sad.

[@geraldinechouinard4148]

gukaizhi nyynh

[@phbiorn]

The trees have nothing to do with it. The Semi had a stop sign where if properly fully stopped the trees do not block the line of sight. The bus has no stop sign.

[@djlilclipz7072]

Doesn’t matter if the trees where in the line of sight. The semi had a stop sign and he blew it

[@Multi123123abcabc]

The stop sign has a flashing red light above it and he still blew through it, truck driver probably just ignored it

[@andrewpersaud4144]

The only thing I can think of is the truck driver assumed it was a 4 way stop...but then again the wreckage suggests he didn't stop period.....so my second guess is he was careless and assumed there were no cars or cops in sight so could just keep cruising. trees must have blocked the bus, further making him believe he was correct about being the only vehicle around.

[@gereral1_jackofalltrades]

no one considers this.... maybe his air brakes service side failed?? He might have applied his brakes and blue line blew off the trailer.....this means 80000 pounds on truck brakes only. Think of the train disasters where they derailed because there was a weight error and not enough cars connected to reduce speed. A red line will engage brakes if it fails on the trailer but blue line only fails AFTER the driver applies the brake. His primary and secondary air gauges would drop FAST. At 55 psi warning lights come on distance and time and brake blue line failure may be the reason he could not stop in time! I drive 18 wheeler as my job........

[@gereral1_jackofalltrades]

The tractor protection valve might not have had enough time to pop trailer button to stop the bleed out. Once that button pops all the trailer spring brakes engage and the truck comes to a stop. At this point count on 8 new tires lol

[@brainfoodlunch]

Where have I heard this music?

[@puppycat65481]

the truck driver blew the stop sign...........that's what happened!

[@louishumphrey4998]

SHUT UP YOU LITTLE FUCKING BITCHHHHH

[@niewissen9912]

I understand people's anger and frustration and sadness. However , the tress did not cause the accident. Failing to stop at that sign did. There is a clear view at the sign left and right. So I believe if he had stoped then we wouldn't even be watching and commenting on this video. My heart go out to thier family and the trucker too. I don't believe it was intentional, it was a accident that he will have to live with for the rest of his life not to sure if I could live with that though.

[@nancygray6466]

Any of us that live in rural areas have intersections like this one. I have drove school bus for 30 years and have seen more people not even hesitate and blow through these intersections. This isn’t the first nor last time something like this will happen. The truck drive is responsible he is/was in the wrong - he should feel bad for what he has done!!

[@johntit1359]

So basically this proves the trucker didn’t stop at the stop sign and killed all the innocent people. The man driving should be put in jail for multiple counts of murder, this is disgusting there are stop signs for reasons and this was unfortunately one of the many. Rip to all the boys that passed such a shame

[@thepalletwoodgardener8883]

No stop sign on the west bound Semi??

[@davidmarkersnr.1888]

Can anyone say what time of day this was? Could have a bearing on the sun dazzle theory. If midday for instance, how low is the sun in the southern sky in that latitude? The bus was coming from the south.

[@levelsabove7631]

This is my view, truck drivers and many are carrying a ton of weight and absolutely flying on the high way, they always ride peoples asses and are in a hurry. This kid was 30 driving the trailer, the company if I am not mistaken was like 4 months new and he probably lacked experience with the truck and the roads. He could have been on the phone for a split second, he may have been falling asleep or may have simply not been paying attention and blew the stop sign and plowed the bus. The bus slammed the breaks last second in the intersection but that crash isn't being avoided once he runs that stop sign. As far as im concerned he should be charged and convicted of 16 murders. People are trying to give him the benefit of doubt and sympathy but if he is found responsible and I don't see how he couldn't be than he belongs in jail. This is so tragic and the support has been amazing from around the world but gutwrenching. I played in the OHL and JR.A and took lots of bus rides, they're suppose to be an amazing time with the boys and great bonding times... this has affected so many people and I am sorry but someone is at fault and 99.9% it is the truck driver.

[@bobm171]

LEVELSABOVE he could have stopped and then pulled in front of bus or could be many things.

[@wemaketherules]

There's no traffic light and there's no stop 🛑 signs??? Wtf is this intersection? Is this in Canada?

[@RoyaleLuna]

sorry to the people who think the bus driver is innocent But I want to bus Trevor to get a huge bill for killing 15 people including one that died at the hospital he should pay at least 5000 for killing 15 people

[@MagicalBread]

I thought the bus was driving through an extremely remote area? Not an intersection

[@golee150]

Truck didn’t stop at THE STOP SIGN, trees aren’t the issue if the TRUCK WAS STOPPED, Einstein

[@virginmary7989]

The truck driver just came from the Punjab and had never seen a STOP sign in English

[@matcam6235]

Trees have nothing to do with it...stop sign on other side....he likely blew the stop sign as did pay attention to it.

[@opinionhated9662]

Truck absolutely ran the stop sign, that’s been determined. He had only been a driver for 2 weeks. Over worked? In experienced? The trucking company was barely a year old and only had a fleet of 2 trucks. What we don’t know or may never know was the reason he missed the flashing red light and stop sign. There are no rumble strips, so was he just zoned out, or distracted? Alcohol or drugs are not a factor, if they were the driver would NOT have been released. Whatever the reason doesn’t matter. It won’t change that as of now 16 lives are lost. Hold dear the ones you love, don’t hold grudges, always seek forgiveness, don’t let petty things separate you. Be unselfish, put others first. This may be your only chance. Do it now.

[@thet3504]

Trees blocking line of sight has nothing to do with running a stop sign at 5pm on a sunny clear day.

[@ronp6009]

The truck driver not only blew through the stop sign he did so at high speed to cause such a crash scene.

[@mtthielsen8342]

Just noticed in some news footage from the crash, those trees are nowhere to be found. I think they must have been removed at some point after that google earth picture.

[@johngta7172]

IF THE BUS DRIVER WAS ALIVE - he would be facing massive lawsuits. did he slow down at intersection?; what speed was he doing? did he check for traffic at intersection? [Ive driven busses ; we were trained to take all of the former precautions at intersections]

[@ylekiote99999]

Idiot

[@simasima9455]

So there is light in this intersection??

[@thewimpygamerroblox8928]

I lived pretty close to there and I was riding my bike near there when I just saw a huge line of things there and it was scary as heck

[@Lane-Eriks]

The truck passed 4 signs saying there’s an intersection, trees don’t matter. May the players lost in this accident R.I.P💚💛

[@Zoomer30]

Yeah, stop signs are there for a reason. Just ask storm chaser Tracey Williamson... Oh wait, you can't. Blew a stop sign and got T-boned.

[@m0ltres909]

Was this in Canada?

[@zzz7zzz9]

the trees had nothing to do with this accident. the semi ran the stop sign, THAT is what caused it. and a very big possible reason why he ran the stop sign, is because he was travelling west, late in the day, the setting sun would have been blinding. this side road should definitely have sets of rumble strips in it, a couple/few hundred yards back and also farther back than that, warning of the interesting highway ahead. especially seeing as it has been a fatal intersection in the past.

[@dylansorotsky691]

The trees are not the reason he hit the bus. It shouldn't matter if the trees are there or not. If there's a stop sign you have to stop

[@kevinjgwilson]

This wasn't an accident it was a collision! Accidents are unavoidable despite one's best efforts such as a rock falling and striking a vehicle or suddenly losing control on an icy road. It's almost a certainty that the semi driver didn't stop. He didn't intend to cause the deaths of 16 people but his actions make him culpable. Failing to stop at a stop sign is clearly dangerous and reckless. A novice driver understands the importance of stopping. A professional driver of a 138,000 lb vehicle has a moral responsibility to operate the vehicle safely. Only two people know with certainty what happened the bus driver and the semi driver. Unfortunately with the prospect of being charge criminally it's not in the semi driver's interest to tell the whole truth. The sun may or may not have been a mitigating factor. A fully loaded super train takes a long time to get rolling from a dead stop. The bus should have had (as required by law) daytime running lights and been clearly visible from the intersection.

[@TheSkinking]

Don`t blame the trees, there is a stop sign and a flashing red light. Sure the sun may have been low and a factor, but those very trees would have blocked the sun from the driver. The sun would have to be directly west as it set and that doesn`t happen in March, it sets to the southwest.

[@michaelbeerbados3291]

the only reason the farm and trees were any factor is that the bus driver would not see or react to a truck at 100 kph blowing through a stop sign. the timing of the crash in portions of a second vs the speed of the 2 vehicles is mathematically staggering. fate was the real factor.