Abbotsford crash: Serious collision involving small bus sends multiple people to hospital
More than a dozen people had to be treated by paramedics after a serious multi-vehicle crash involving a small bus carrying farm workers in Abbotsford Tuesday morning.
BC Emergency Health Services said an air ambulance, along with six ground ambulances, responded to the crash in the 32000 block of MacLure Road.
Sixteen patients were treated and five sent to hospital, including three who were in critical condition.
“It was scary. It was scary and terrifying,” said Mandeep Singh, who lives nearby and went to the scene after hearing the crash.
Video from the scene shortly after the accident shows the front end of a mangled red truck, a shattered windshield and damaged front end of a shuttle bus, as well as another damaged vehicle.
Witnesses tell CTV News Vancouver they heard tires screeching and that the crash sounded like a bomb going off.
Stephen Appleton lives nearby and rushed barefoot to the scene.
“My heart almost fell out of my chest when I saw the bus, two other vehicles, a bunch of people scrambling,” he says.
Appleton, who knows first aid, says he first went to the bus.
“The driver was trapped, had both his legs pinned between the seat and the dash and the steering wheel,” Appleton explained.
He says after doing what he could for the bus driver, he moved to the truck where an unconscious driver was also trapped.
“I couldn’t free him. The only thing I could do is lean him back. I did a rapid body check,” he says.
Singh says firefighters were needed to free the trapped drivers.
“Firefighters did their job well. They cut the vehicle and took the people out of the vehicle,” Singh explained.
A spokesperson for the company that owns the shuttle bus says there were nine farm workers on board at the time of the accident. Manjit Gill says the workers were headed to a nursery.
Casandra Appleton also heard the crash and ran to the scene, carrying her baby.
“It took a while for police even to get here,” she said.
Appleton says she tried to comfort some of those involved in the accident.
“I did try and help some of the women to get them to calm down and settle down,” she said.
The road was blocked off for hours as police investigated.
Neighbours say there are far too many accidents on McClure Road and that too many drivers speed there.
Police say they are still trying to piece together what led to the accident Tuesday.
CTVNews.ca Top Stories
El Nino weakening doesn't mean cooler temperatures this summer, forecasters say
As Canadians brace themselves for summer temperatures, forecasters say a weakening El Nino cycle doesn’t mean relief from the heat.
BREAKING 15-year-old boy stabbed Thursday in Nepean dies
A 15-year old boy who was critically injured after a stabbing in Nepean on Thursday has died of his injuries, Ottawa's English public school board said Sunday.
Dash cam catches moment suspected drunk driver hits parked car, sends it careening into North Shore flower shop
Police say it’s fortunate no one was injured or killed in a collision at North Vancouver’s Park and Tilford shopping centre Saturday evening that sent one vehicle careening into a flower shop and another into a set of concrete barriers outside a Winners store.
Nylander defends Leafs' core after playoff exit, Toronto again picks up the pieces
The Maple Leafs battled back from a 3-1 series deficit against the Boston Bruins with consecutive 2-1 victories - including one that required extra time - in their first-round playoff series to push the club's Original Six rival to the limit before suffering a devastating Game 7 overtime loss.
Amid climate change warnings, Canadians lukewarm on electric vehicles
Amid scientists' warnings that nations need to transition away from fossil fuels to limit climate change, Canadians are still lukewarm on electric vehicles, according to a study conducted by Nanos Research for CTV News.
Three dead, two hospitalized, following collision in Fredericton: police
Three people have died and two have been hospitalized after a speeding car struck a tree and landed on another vehicle in Fredericton Sunday morning.
Montreal man on the hook for thousands of dollars after a feature on his Tesla caused an accident
A Montreal man is warning Tesla drivers about using the Smart Summon feature after his vehicle hit another in a parking lot.
Madonna's biggest-ever concert transforms Rio's Copacabana beach into a massive dance floor
Madonna put on a free concert on Copacabana beach Saturday night, turning Rio de Janeiro's vast stretch of sand into an enormous dance floor teeming with a multitude of her fans.
Mexican authorities say thieves killed 2 Australians and an American to steal their truck
Thieves killed two Australians and an American on a surfing trip to Mexico in order to steal their truck, particularly because they wanted the tires, authorities said Sunday.