Manitoba RCMP and Crown prosecutors will not lay charges against the driver of a bus involved in a crash with a semi-truck in 2023.
The decision was announced Wednesday morning by Manitoba RCMP.
“As investigators, we hoped to provide the why of what happened, and that is why we do what we do. But in this case, we cannot say why the bus proceeded into the intersection that day when it was unsafe to do so,” said Supt. Rob Lasson, officer in charge of major crime services with Manitoba RCMP.
The crash happened June 15, 2023, near Carberry, Man. as a bus carrying a group of seniors from the Dauphin area was heading to a casino.
Seventeen people died as a result of the crash.
Officers formerly said the driver of the semi-truck driver had the right of way.
Lasson said RCMP put together a ‘comprehensive investigative package’ for the Crown attorney. Based on his review, no charges are being authorized in relation to the crash.
While RCMP’s investigation was extensive, Lasson said officers were not able to speak with key witnesses as many were on board that day and died.
He noted they recovered cell phone data from the bus driver and confirmed there were no incoming or outgoing text messages or calls at the time of the collision.
“Very importantly, early on, we were able to pull evidence from the semi-truck dash cam, which we had previously discussed. This dash cam enabled us to gather that evidence, and show that the bus proceeded when it was unsafe,” he said.
“This was a very key piece of evidence, and a turning point to provide the public with immediate answers.”
Blind spots, he added, were ‘not necessarily responsible’ for the crash that day.
Lasson says police have still not spoken to the bus driver, nor do they anticipate being able to do so based on “medical reasons.” Therefore, they do not have their account of the collision.
Lasson says RCMP and Crown prosecutors travelled to Dauphin Tuesday to give the news in person to families and answer any questions.
“Like the families, today will bring about varied emotions. All of this is very understandable,” he said.
This is a developing story. More details to come.