June 15, 2023 is a day to long be remembered in Manitoba. It was the day when 15 Dauphin residents lost their lives in what’s being regarded as among the worst tragedies in the province’s history.
On that tragic Thursday, 24 people, mostly seniors, boarded a minibus at the Dauphin Active Living Centre and headed toward the Sand Hills Casino for a day outing some 200 kilometres away.
Just minutes from their destination, the bus collided with a semitruck while attempting to cross the busy four-lane Trans-Canada Highway. Fifteen passengers were declared deceased on the scene. The remaining 10 passengers, including the bus driver, were transported by air and land ambulance to hospital.
The semi driver was also transferred to hospital and has since been released. Dashcam footage from the truck reveals that the semi had the right of way when the bus entered its path.
On Monday, June 19, Premier Heather Stefanson, RCMP Superintendent Rob Lasson, and Shared Health CEO Lanette Siragusa held a press conference to provide updates.
“The last few days have been extremely challenging for people right across our province,” Stefanson said. “In particular the Dauphin area, but it really has affected all Manitobans. It’s tough to even begin to imagine what the families [of the victims] are going through. I’m sending, on behalf of all Manitobans, our deepest condolences to those who have lost loved ones and our prayers are there for those who are continuing to fight for their lives in hospital.”
Stefanson, who called for a moment of silence during the press conference, says that attending first responders, RCMP officers, and health officials have been working hard to release helpful information in a timely manner.
Some of these professionals have been tasked with the difficult job of identifying the bodies of the deceased, made more difficult by the fact that they were burned beyond recognition. After impact, the bus broke into flames, leaving behind only a charred shell.
“I’ve seen photographs of the scene and all of the deceased individuals,” Dr. John K. Younes, the province’s chief medical examiner, said in an earlier interview. “The reason we have to undertake scientific means of identification is that most, if not all of them, have significant facial trauma.”
For family members of those aboard the bus, the wait to find out if their loved one was among the living or deceased felt interminable. Still, investigators were determined not to make any errors, as happened in 2018 when two victims were misidentified in the Humboldt Broncos junior hockey team bus crash.
“Being informed on Friday that their loved one is now believed to be among the deceased is very difficult,” said Lasson. “I can assure you that our investigators worked tirelessly throughout the weekend, continuing to look for the answers as to what occurred on the highway on June 15 where 15 of our friends and family were deceased.”
According to Siragusa, mental health supports have been set up for residents living in the Prairie Mountain Health region through a 24-hour crisis phone line.
As for the reasons behind the crash, Lasson says that the results of the RCMP’s investigation could take weeks, or even months.
Slowing the investigation, he says, is the fact that the only witnesses to the accident were those who rode in the involved vehicles.
Some interviews have already been conducted with a few crash survivors, the details of which cannot yet be shared publicly. An interview of the bus driver is pending while he continues to receive treatment.
The RCMP’s traffic services unit are the specialized investigators assigned to the task. They include four forensic collision reconstructionists and two members of the criminal collision investigative team.
An analysis of both vehicles is underway to determine if mechanical failure played a role. This work, too, is impeded by the fact that so little remains of the bus.
“All steps are being taken to get the answers as efficiently as possible, keeping in mind… that accuracy is paramount,” Lasson said. “That will not be sacrificed in the name of expediency.”
At the same time, debriefing supports have been put in place for the RCMP officers and first responders who attended the scene. In an earlier interview, Lasson indicated that some of the officers are very junior in their service and this tragedy may impact them for years to come.
For the investigators, too, Lasson says it’s difficult not to get emotionally invested.
“Maintaining emotion among our investigators is very difficult,” said Lasson. “But the most complex part of it is that we have to determine accurate answers, and [by that I] mean, was someone at fault here? Our job as investigators is to rule that out or to rule that in.”
As for the survivors, Siragusa says five remain in critical care while a sixth has recently been moved to a stepdown unit after some improvement. Four others are considered stable.
Stefanson’s government has instructed Manitoba Health to make resources available to family members so they can be reimbursed for any travel, hotel, or food costs they incur while visiting their loved ones.
Flags around the country fly at half-mast in honour of the victims and survivors, including the flag atop the Peace Tower on Parliament Hill.
