No charges in B.C. 2022 Christmas Eve bus crash that left 4 dead
Posted December 20, 2023 10:21 am.
Last Updated December 20, 2023 10:54 am.
The B.C. Prosecution Service says there will be no charges stemming from a fatal bus crash on an icy highway in the province’s Interior last Christmas Eve.
The crash left four people dead and multiple others injured.
Spokesperson Dan McLaughlin says the service reached the decision after Crown counsel assessing the allegations concluded that the standard for charges had not been met.
The prosecution service guideline says in order for charges to be approved, there must be a “substantial likelihood of conviction” based on the strength of the evidence as well as the public interest being served in a prosecution.
The crash happened on Highway 97C, the Okanagan Connector, east of Merritt, when the bus, operated by Alberta-based Ebus, went off the road and flipped on its side.
Police said at the time extremely icy road conditions caused the rollover, with driving conditions described as “very poor with ice and snow on the road surface along with rain and hail falling.”
The crash prompted the Interior Health authority to trigger a code orange response for a mass-casualty event.
The bus was travelling from Kelowna to Vancouver when the crash happened.
Ebus President John Stepovy told CityNews following the crash that the company was cooperating with the RCMP and its investigation.
“First and foremost, our thoughts and our prayers are with everyone impacted,” Stepovy said on Dec. 25. “We’re certainly thankful for the first responders and health-care workers that have supported and are continuing to support the unfortunate incident.”
Stepovy added at the time that safety is the company’s “number one priority” and that Ebus drivers are well-trained.
Following the deadly crash, and others on interior highways around the same time, B.C. Minister of Transportation Rob Fleming confirmed the RCMP would be conducting a “thorough investigation.”
“There are a lot of questions that people want answers to, myself included. We don’t have those answers today, we must let the investigators do their work,” Fleming said Dec. 27, 2022.
