The CP Rail crew bus crash occurred May 28, 1980, when twenty-two people were killed after the school bus they were travelling in was side swiped by an oncoming car near Webb, Saskatchewan.[1] The collision remains the deadliest traffic accident in Saskatchewan history.[2]
| CP Rail crew bus crash | |
|---|---|
  Crash site Crash site (Saskatchewan) | |
| Details | |
| Date | May 28, 1980 |
| Location | Webb, Saskatchewan |
| Statistics | |
| Vehicles | 3 (Bus, Car, Transport Truck) |
| Passengers | 30 |
| Deaths | 22 |
| Injured | 11 |
Accident
editOn May 28, 1980, a bus carrying 30 Canadian Pacific Railway workers known as the 'Prairie Region Steel Gang', was returning home after work they were doing on the railway was cut short by rain.[3] At approximately 2:30pm on the TransCanada highway, just west of Webb, Saskatchewan, the bus was struck on its side by an oncoming car, causing the bus to flip on its side.[3] The bus was then hit from behind by a transport truck carrying liquid asphalt, setting off a fiery blaze.[3] Most of the passengers died instantly on scene with others dying either at the hospital or enroute.[3] Many of the charred bodies could only be identified by tattoos, clothing or physique.[4] Among the dead, 12 were Newfoundlanders, 9 Manitobans, and one from Ontario.[3] Of the 30 passengers on board the bus, only 8 would survive including the 2 occupants of the car and the driver of the truck.[4]
Aftermath
editIn August 1980, a bronze memorial plaque honoring the 22 victims was unveiled in the town of Swift Current, Saskatchewan, approximately 22kms east of Webb, Saskatchewan.[3]
See also
editReferences
edit- ^ "CP Rail Crew Bus Crash | The Canadian Encyclopedia". www.thecanadianencyclopedia.ca. Retrieved 2023-09-26.
- ^ Government of Canada, Public Safety Canada (2018-12-21). "Canadian Disaster Database". cdd.publicsafety.gc.ca. Retrieved 2023-09-27.
- ^ a b c d e f Pacholik, Barb (May 9, 2018). "From a 'steel gang' to a hockey crew, devastating bus crashes remembered". leaderpost.
- ^ a b https://www.pressreader.com/canada/regina-leader-post/20090418/282243776531389. Retrieved 2023-09-26 – via PressReader.
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