A monument to honour first responders and the victims of a deadly bus crash near Carberry last summer is set to be unveiled Sunday.
Premier Wab Kinew is expected to speak at the memorial’s unveiling at Day Lily Park in Carberry. First responders, and municipal officials are expected to be in attendance at the 3 p.m. unveiling.
On June 15, 2023, a bus carrying 25 seniors that was destined for the Sand Hills Casino, south of Carberry, drove into the path of a tractor-trailer that was travelling on the Trans-Canada Highway.
The 17 Carberry crash victims: Top row from left: Louis Bretecher, Margaret Furkalo, Vangie Gilchrist, Ann Hill. Second row, from left: Arlene Lindquist, Dianne Medwid, Nettie Nakonechny, Shirley Novalkowski. Third row, from left: Jean Rosenkranz, Lillian Stobbe, Donna Showdra, Patsy Zamrykut. Fourth row, from left: Helen Kufley, Frank and Rose Perzylo, Claudia Zurba, Catherine Day.
The bus was struck, and landed in a ditch and exploded. Just eight of the passengers survived.
The bus driver suffered a traumatic brain injury in the crash, and at 62 years old now requires assisted living.
An RCMP investigation into the circumstances of the collision found no evidence anything criminal had occurred, and the bus driver wasn’t charged.
At a June 26 news conference, Crown prosecutor Chris Vanderhooft said a blind spot on the bus prevented the driver from seeing the approaching tractor-trailer.
The truck driver was released soon after being taken to hospital. The truck driver had the right-of-way, wasn’t speeding, and had tried to avoid the collision, the Crown said.
Earlier this year, the province said it plans to spend $12 million to redesign the Highway 5 and Trans-Canada intersection where the crash occurred, about a half-hour from the casino.
Lavonne Tyschinski’s mother, Shirley Novalkowski, died in the crash.
Tyschinski, along with Darlene Prytula, Teresa Rausch and Patrick Furkalo — all who lost parents in the crash — decided Carberry needed a memorial of its own.
The idea for a single bench evolved into a memorial to serve not only as a remembrance of life for those who died, but also as a tribute to first responders.
“I just think it’s important for us to acknowledge that we appreciate all that they did, and all that they sacrificed — because it didn’t just change our lives, it’s changed their lives,” Tyschinski said.
“I lost my mother, and she’s gone, but what they saw that day sort of lives on and I’m grateful I didn’t have to see that,” she said, adding, “it’s been a year of healing for them as well.”
Although Tyschinski expects Sunday to be a difficult and emotional day for many, she hopes the memorial will be a “celebration of life, not just mourning.”
In June, a monument bearing the victims’ names was unveiled in Dauphin, about a two-hour drive north of Carberry, where most of the passengers had come from.
The unveiling there drew more than 200 people, including dignitaries and first responders.
Carberry Mayor Ray Muirhead said the two communities are forever linked because of the tragedy.
The town has invited a group of at least 60 people from Dauphin who are expected to attend.
Town CAO Grady Stephenson orchestrated in-kind contributions from local businesses for everything from electrical services for lighting the monument, to the donation of 17 trees to be planted in remembrance of the lives lost.
“We will always remember the 17 lives lost, and also our emergency (responders)… Our thoughts are always with them,” Muirhead said.
fpcity@freepress.mb.ca
Jordan Snobelen
Reporter
Jordan Snobelen is a general assignment reporter for the Free Press. He spent four years reporting for community newspapers in Ontario before joining the Free Press’s city desk in 2024. Read more about Jordan.
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