File photo (Image credit: BC Highway Patrol).

By Aaron Schulze

Lac La Hache Collision Update

Driver of school bus that crashed near Lac La Hache in June suffered medical event: RCMP

Nov 22, 2024 | 11:30 AM

100 MILE HOUSE, B.C. — The driver of the school bus that careened down an embankment near Lac La Hache over the summer will not be criminally charged.

In a news release issued Friday (Nov. 20), BC Highway Patrol says investigators met with victims and families of the bus crash off Highway 97 near Butler Road on June 21 and told them the incident was a traffic accident with no criminality.

According to evidence collected, including video and witness statements, BC Highway Patrol Cpl. Michael McLaughlin says the driver – a 60-year-old woman from the Cariboo – suffered a medical event. Police say she’s still recovering from serious injuries.

At least 17 patients were sent to hospital. Police say 31 children and four adults were aboard the bus, and injuries ranged from bruises to broken bones.

“This collision deeply affected this small community, and we want them to know that we examined every detail,” McLaughlin says. “The outcome is still tragic, but at least they are not left in the dark about how it happened.”

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Shortly after the bus crash, a pedestrian was struck by an SUV and pronounced dead after life-saving efforts by paramedics. Police say, according to witnesses, the 67-year-old man from the Cariboo was crossing the road to offer help to victims of the bus crash.

“There were no signs of impairment, carelessness or distraction from the driver of the SUV, and the vehicle was going below the speed limit,” McLaughlin says. “The SUV driver could not see the aftermath of the bus collision due to a bend in the highway, and the driver’s last-second efforts to evade the pedestrian did not work.”

School District 27 has provided counsellors for affected students and is encouraging them to reach out to their principal to arrange support.