| Friday, 14 November 2008 07:15 |
| A report released by RCMP earlier this year found the van involved in the collision was in poor condition. That report found that the van would not have passed a safety inspection in its pre-collision state due to worn brakes and tires. Another report by Transport Canada found the driver had been awake for 16 hours and was driving in poor weather conditions. Earlier this week the RCMP announced that they will not be pressing charges citing that the evidentiary evidence rules in criminal court is very high - beyond a reasonable doubt. There is still the possibility of a provincial inquest into the Bathurst crash. The New Brunswick government is permanently outlawing 15-seat passenger vans for school use as it implements new safety standards in response to the tragic road accident that killed eight people last winter. New Brunswick Education Minister Kelly Lamrock has said that enforceable policies are being put in place this school year requiring such things as the use of school buses for groups of 10 or more students and the use of winter tires on vehicles. New Brunswick joins several other jurisdictions in Canada and the United States that have banned the large vans for use by school groups. Frank Wilson, author of a Transport Canada study on the Bathurst accident, said he's pleased the province is requiring winter tires on vehicles transporting students. Wilson identified the worn, all-season tires on the Bathurst van as a critical factor in the accident. But Wilson said the New Brunswick government should have included a clear policy on weather-related travel for extracurricular activities. Seven Bathurst High School basketball players and a teacher were killed Jan. 12, 2008 when their 15-seat 1997 Ford Econoline F350 Club Wagon struck a tractor-trailer on a New Brunswick highway in winter conditions while returning to Bathurst after a night game in Moncton. Eight of the 12 people in the van died. |