1997 Les Éboulements bus accident

Disaster in Quebec, Canada in 1997 Les Éboulements bus accident 1997 10 13 Les Éboulements, Quebec Canada Autobus Mercier Bus Crash Brake failure, aggravated by driver fatigue. 1 Transport Bus 48 44 (including the driver) 4 The 1997 Les Éboulements bus accident, also known as the St. Joseph Bus Accident, occurred on Thanksgiving Day, October 13, 1997, in Les Éboulements (St-Joseph-de-la-Rive), Quebec, Canada. 44 died as a result of the crash, making it the deadliest traffic collision in Canadian history.History Television: Disasters of the Century V https://web.archive.org/web/20110706182949/http://www.history.ca/ontv/titledetails.aspx?titleid=70278 2011-07-06 A similar crash had occurred in 1974 at the very same spot and had resulted in 14 deaths.June 1, 1974 Canadian Disaster Database Incident https://cdd.publicsafety.gc.ca/dtpg-eng.aspx?lang=eng&cultureCode=en-Ca&provinces=11&eventTypes=%27ZD%27%2c%27ZF%27%2c%27ZL%27%2c%27ZM%27%2c%27ZV%27%2c%27VA%27&normalizedCostYear=1&eventId=1272 September 12, 2013 Public Safety Canada en Crash The bus, carrying members of a Golden Age Club on an overnight leaf peeping trip, had travelled on Quebec Highways 138 and 362 from Saint-Bernard headed for L'Île-aux-Coudres. It was travelling down Côte des Éboulements, which had a steep hill with a sharp right turn at the base. The time was 1:45 pm, and the roads were dry and clear. The driver, André Desruisseaux, was unable to slow the bus to negotiate the curve, and the bus collided with the guardrail, smashed through it and plunged over 10 metres into a ravine. It landed, slid on its right side and came to rest beside an elevated railway line. The crash and fall slammed the occupants violently around the interior of the vehicle, injuring most of them fatally. No skid marks were found on the road at the site of the crash, leading authorities to immediately suspect brake failure. Witnesses also reported a stench of overheated brakes coming from the bus.https://www.cbc.ca/news/canada/witness-tells-bus-inquiry-of-burning-brakes-1.165104 https://web.archive.org/web/20100106073651/http://www.cbc.ca/news/story/1998/03/09/inquest980309c.html live January 6, 2010 CBC:Witness tells bus inquiry of burning brakes 7 April 2018 Victims There were 48 people aboard the bus, including the driver. Five survived the crash initially,http://www.cjonline.com/stories/101497/busplunge.html Bus carrying senior citizens plunges into ravine, CJ Online 7 April 2018 however one of them succumbed to their injuries a month later.http://charlevoix.qc.ca/hebdo/millenaire/a_archive_millenaire_2000_01.html Millénaire 7 April 2018 https://web.archive.org/web/20061010041356/http://charlevoix.qc.ca/hebdo/millenaire/a_archive_millenaire_2000_01.html 2006-10-10 dead All the victims were senior citizens from the small village of Saint-Bernard, except for the 29-year-old bus driver, who was from Sherbrooke.http://www.northernblue.ca/canchan/canmiles/10oct/canmilesoct13.php milestonesoct13 7 April 2018 https://archive.today/20070928075417/http://www.northernblue.ca/canchan/canmiles/10oct/canmilesoct13.php 2007-09-28 dead Inquiry An inquiry into the crash was ordered by the Government of Quebec and was headed by coroner Luc Malouin,https://www.cbc.ca/news/canada/inquiry-takes-a-hard-look-at-bus-tragedy-1.165528 https://web.archive.org/web/20120207220407/http://www.cbc.ca/news/story/1998/03/09/inquest980309a.html live February 7, 2012 CBC: Inquiry takes a hard look at bus tragedy 7 April 2018 but the provincial government immediately announced plans to rebuild the road to improve safety by relocating it and eliminating the sharp curve. The cause of the crash was determined to be brake failurehttp://www.radio-canada.ca/actualite/zoneLibre/02-10/eboulements.html Radio-Canada.ca / R D I / ZONE LIBRE www.radio-canada.ca 7 April 2018 - the coroner determined that brakes only had 30 percent of their braking capacity, and that André Mercier, owner of the bus company Autobus Mercier, was not competent in managing his bus fleet.http://www.toile-sherbrooke.com/nouvelles/hier/20021015.html Sherbrooke: Nouvelles locales régionales nationales du 15 octobre 2002 - La Toile de Sherbrooke 7 April 2018 https://web.archive.org/web/20070928205409/http://www.toile-sherbrooke.com/nouvelles/hier/20021015.html 2007-09-28 dead Also contributing to the crash was the driver's exhaustion: he had less than 5 hours of sleep the night before, and had been putting in over-50-hour work-weeks.http://www.utubc.com/meeting/meeting15.htm Sleep Deprivation Epidemic Hurts Economy 7 April 2018 https://web.archive.org/web/20061123174032/http://www.utubc.com/meeting/meeting15.htm 2006-11-23 dead On March 23, 1999, the coroner released his final report on the crash, maintaining his initial conclusions. He made several recommendations,https://www.cbc.ca/news/canada/quebec-coroner-wants-changes-to-bus-safety-1.186203 CBC:Quebec coroner wants changes to bus safety 7 April 2018 but rebuilding the road was not among them.http://www.tomifobia.com/ramrod.html Log Cabin Chronicles Peter Black's Louis St. Laurent Column www.tomifobia.com 7 April 2018 Controversy Litigation by environmental groups who contested the government decision not to hold consultations and studies regarding the environmental impact of the work resulted in a one-year delay before road work could begin.http://www.ise.uqam.ca/enviro/archives/envoctnov99/v11n1a6.htmlAugust 2019 InternetArchiveBot yes Work began on June 7, 1999. Because the coroner had made no recommendations regarding the road, the government was criticized for spending public money in a wasteful manner.http://www.apigq.qc.ca/Publications/CommuniquesDePresse/1999-03-31/ CÔTE DES ÉBOULEMENTS UNE NOUVELLE CÔTE DES ÉBOULEMENTS N'EST PAS LA SOLUTION APIGQ 7 April 2018 https://web.archive.org/web/20070928225623/http://www.apigq.qc.ca/Publications/CommuniquesDePresse/1999-03-31/ 2007-09-28 dead Road improvements The road is now separated with a Jersey barrier and the slope has been reduced on the hill. All vehicles are required to stop before proceeding down the hill, and commercial vehicles are required to verify the correct operation of their brakes.http://www.radio-canada.ca/regions/Quebec/nouvelles/200210/13/001-Eboulements.shtml Radio-Canada - Régions - Nouvelles www.radio-canada.ca 7 April 2018http://www.radio-canada.ca/nouvelles/06/6630.htm Info - Radio-Canada.ca Radio-Canada 7 April 2018 https://web.archive.org/web/20070930204535/http://www.radio-canada.ca/nouvelles/06/6630.htm 2007-09-30 dead There were plans to build a lookout which would include an official memorial near the location of the crash, providing a safe location for motorists who wish to visit the site. By 2009, the lookout was complete and in use. There is a memorial for the victims, and the lookout offers a view on l'Île-aux-Coudres shoulder.http://www.radio-canada.ca/regions/Quebec/nouvelles/200507/25/001-belvedere-eboulements.shtml Nouveau pas franchi pour le belvédère de la côte des Éboulements Zone Nouvelles - Radio-Canada.ca www.radio-canada.ca 7 April 2018 See also List of road accidents List of deadliest Canadian traffic accidents Notes All links retrieved on November 3, 2006. 47 27 47.21 N 70 20 22.09 W title Category:Bus incidents in Canada Category:1997 road incidents Category:1997 in Quebec Category:Disasters in Quebec Category:Accidental deaths in Quebec Category:October 1997 in Canada Category:Capitale-Nationale