19 bus passengers released from hospital

NEWS — Nineteen patients injured in Thursday’s Coquihalla bus crash have been released from hospital but 24 others are still in Royal Inland or Kelowna General.

The bus tipped over 30 km. south of Merritt about 2:30 p.m. Thursday.

The Interior Health Authority provided an update on patient status late Friday morning. All 11 patients who had been taken to the Nicola Valley Hospital & Health Centre in Merritt were among those released.

Nine of those still in hospital are at Royal Inland and 15 in Kelowna. Seven are in critical  condition, six in serious condition and 11 have non-life-threatening injuries.

IHA said six other patients were taken from the accident scene to Fraser Canyon Hospital in Hope, five to Royal Columbian Hospital in New Westminster and one to Chilliwack General Hospital. All those patients were in stable condition Friday morning.

RCMP confirmed Friday several children were on the bus but none suffered serious injury.

Merritt Const. T. Dunsmore said passengers were from B.C., the U.S. and Mainland China but the numbers from each country haven’t been confirmed.

Police said the bus, returning to Vancouver from a four-day tour to the Rockies, was passing a transport rig when its wheels strayed onto the median. It then veered back onto the highway, tipped on its side and righted itself when it hit the opposite ditch.

“The bus was reported to have hit a median while travelling southbound, then skidded across several lanes of traffic and rolled into a ditch ejecting numerous passengers,” said Dunsmore. “No other vehicles were involved in the accident.”

Speed did not appear to be a factor, police said.

Central Interior Traffic Services said the road was bare and dry at the time, and visibility was clear. A mechanical inspection is being done on the bus and the investigation into the cause of the accident is ongoing.

Dunsmore gave credit to B.C. Ambulance Services, emergency personnel, and doctors, nurses and first aid attendants on the scene “for the amazing care provided to all of the injured passengers.” (See A.M. News Friday Morning Editorial on this subject.)

He said a language barrier proved challenging but many passersby assisted with Cantonese and Mandarin translation.