‘It’s going to be a long time before we ever forget this’ Neepawa volunteer firefighters had no idea what they were about to see until they arrived at post-crash highway hellscape By: Chris Kitching Posted: 6:05 PM CDT Monday, Jun. 19, 2023 Last Modified: 7:46 AM CDT Tuesday, Jun. 20, 2023 Updates

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Yves Guillas and fellow members of Neepawa’s volunteer fire department didn’t know the scale of the tragedy unfolding near Carberry when they were called to a crash involving a bus and tractor-trailer.

When they arrived at the intersection of the Trans-Canada Highway and Highway 5 at about noon Thursday, the catastrophic and fiery scene was like was nothing they had ever encountered before.

“It’s going to be a long time before we ever forget this,” said Guillas, an electrician who’s been a firefighter for 28 years. “Every time there’s a call now that calls for rescue, you’re going to get that (lump) in your throat.”

Ten firefighters from Neepawa went to the crash — only knowing a rescue was needed and a blaze had to be put out — to help members of the local Carberry North Cypress-Langford Fire & Rescue department.

Guillas and his members didn’t know the type of bus involved until they arrived about 25 minutes after the initial call.

During the 40-kilometre drive, they thought they would find a yellow school bus.

The crash killed 15 of 25 people on the wheelchair-accessible minibus, which was taking a group of seniors from Dauphin to the Sand Hills Casino south of Carberry.

The 10 survivors — six women and four men ranging in age from 60s to 80s, including the bus driver — remained in hospital Monday.

Five were still in critical care, and one had been moved to a step-down unit after improving, Shared Health CEO Lanette Siragusa said at a Monday news conference at Winnipeg’s RCMP headquarters.

Investigators have interviewed some of the survivors while trying to find out what led to the crash, RCMP Supt. Rob Lasson confirmed.

“We have to determine accurate answers, and when I talk about accurate answers, we mean was someone at fault here?” he said. “Our job as investigators is to rule that out or to rule that in.”

The bus — carrying 19 women and six men ranging in ages from 58 to 88 — was southbound on Highway 5 when it was struck by a tractor-trailer headed east on the Trans-Canada Highway.

RCMP have said the semi-truck driver had the right of way.

At the intersection, Highway 5 has stop signs with flashing lights in both north and south directions. Yield signs face each way in the median, alerting motorists attempting left turns on to the Trans-Canada to the potential high-speed danger approaching from their right.

Premier Heather Stefanson said the province is willing to bring in experts while it reviews the collision. It is also open to making changes to improve safety at the intersection, if necessary.

“We want the process to unfold,” she told the news conference. “We don’t want to rush through this. We want to make sure that we get it right.”

The premier praised the “incredible” efforts of emergency services, hospital staff and other personnel involved in the response.

Given the high number of victims, the firefighters from Neepawa cared for patients at the scene, which is something that normally isn’t required of them.

Some members helped extinguish the bus fire.

Guillas was among those who stayed with patients and tried to keep them conscious while checking vital signs, asking questions and offering assurances.

“If it doesn’t affect you, you’re not human,” he said. “It’s got to affect you somehow.”

Blankets covered the bodies of multiple people who died at the scene.

Had he known how bad the situation was, Guillas said he wouldn’t have sent some of the department’s younger members, who are about 20 years old, to protect them from the emotional impact.

“We’ve gone to lots of calls, but never to this magnitude. This was kind of over the top,” he said.

While he praised the co-ordination of resources, Guillas singled out a member of STARS air ambulance who triaged patients and instructed the firefighters.

“We’ve gone to lots of calls, but never to this magnitude. This was kind of over the top.”–Yves Guillas, firefighter

The Neepawa firefighters later attended a debriefing at the town’s fire hall, where mental-health support workers were on hand to provide assistance.

“Personally, I left feeling better than when I went in, and that’s the whole idea,” said Guillas.

He has spent time thinking about the victims and their families, not knowing if the people he helped are among the survivors.

“I just pray to God these people are going to be fine and their families are going to be fine,” he said.

For the RCMP, evidence gathering has been slow because the primary witnesses are in hospital, Lasson said.

Police have not yet been able to interview the bus driver. The tractor-trailer driver was released from hospital last week.

In the absence of witness statements, officers are relying on forensic investigations and a mechanical analysis of both vehicles.

Accurate answers are likely weeks or months away, said Lasson.

Transport Canada investigators are helping police, said agency spokesman Hicham Ayoun.

Autopsies were taking place to confirm the identities of the 15 people who died.

Debriefings were also held for paramedics, RCMP officers, hospital staff and others.

Carberry is hosting a debriefing session for witnesses Tuesday. Mental-health supports are available to anyone affected by the incident.

Stefanson said the victims’ families will be reimbursed for any travel, hotel or food costs.

She said she will visit Dauphin, but first wants to give the families space to grieve. She travelled to Carberry Saturday for the local fire department’s annual breakfast fundraiser.

Chief Cameron Abrey was among six Dauphin Fire Department members who attended the event to support Carberry’s firefighters.

“We felt that weight on us, that we had to go say thank you to these folks for assisting our friends, our neighbours and our community’s families,” he said.

The breakfast hosted a record 832 people and raised $10,000, to a post on the Carberry fire department’s Facebook page said.

chris.kitching@freepress.mb.ca

Twitter: @chriskitching

Chris Kitching
Reporter

Chris Kitching is a general assignment reporter at the Free Press. He began his newspaper career in 2001, with stops in Winnipeg, Toronto and London, England, along the way. After returning to Winnipeg, he joined the Free Press in 2021, and now covers a little bit of everything for the newspaper. Read more about Chris.

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