Fog hero a mystery
Published: August 12, 2005
A mystery driver who flashed his or her truck lights to warn motorists of a serious crash ahead saved the lives of those aboard a Greyhound bus, say Mounties.
Grande Prairie RCMP are hoping to track down the Good Samaritan, who was operating a white truck when he came upon the crash on a foggy patch of highway Wednesday morning.
“There is no doubt this individual saved the lives of some or all of the passengers on the bus,” said Sgt. Daryl Key of the Grande Prairie RCMP in a statement yesterday. “The only thing is we don’t know who it is.”
Aware the bus was in danger of being rear-ended by other vehicles, the driver peeled across a ditch and into the westbound lane of Highway 43, travelling east along the shoulder with all the vehicle’s lights flashing.
Police say the driver was able to warn three oncoming semis that narrowly missed slamming into the bus.
The crash occurred on Highway 43, about 50 kilometres east of Grande Prairie, around 5:30 a.m.
A semi hauling cement had slowed due to heavy fog and was struck by a second rig carrying groceries for Sobeys. The bus, en-route to Grande Prairie from Edmonton, then slammed into the back of the second semi. Nine people were taken to hospital, including the three drivers, as well as all six passengers aboard the bus.
Among those injured was a family traveling to Grande Prairie from the Philippines for the birth of their first grandchild.
The family had declined to catch a flight from Vancouver, preferring to take a scenic bus ride through the Rockies.
When they arrived in Edmonton, their scheduled bus was full, leaving them to wait for the next ill-fated one.
Grandmother-to-be Virginia Rances sustained a severely injured leg and was airlifted to an Edmonton hospital. Her husband Francisco Rances was more seriously hurt, requiring surgery to stabilize him and repair a ruptured spleen.
Both his legs were severely injured and may be amputated.
“When I saw that leg, the sight of that leg and the smell of that leg was brutal,” expectant father Phil Rizarri told Sun Media. “It’s embedded in my mind.”
Great-aunt-to-be Lillian Rances sustained a broken shoulder and was released from hospital.
Three passengers sustained minor injuries, while the conditions of the three other victims were unknown yesterday.
Mounties say speed was not a factor in the collision
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