While RCMP initially said the three children and two adults who were injured were all in stable condition, the latest information from Alberta Health Services at 10:30 a.m. was that two boys were more seriously injured than previously reported by police.
The crash at Diamond Avenue and Golden Spike Road happened around 8:15 a.m. The school bus was heading north on Golden Spike Road when it was hit, RCMP said.
Just three children were on the Parkland School Division bus at the time of the crash. All are believed to be between eight and 13 years old.
A collision between a school bus and a semi at the intersection of Spruce Grove’s Diamond Avenue and Golden Spike Road on Nov. 4, 2022, injured three children and two adults.
The third student, a girl, was treated at the scene and taken to the hospital by her family.
The drivers – a woman in her 60s and a man in his 40s – were taken to hospital in a “serious but stable condition”, the health service said.
A nearby business owner and a co-worker were two of the many people who rushed to help.
“I saw two children [out of the bus]. There was one laying in the intersection and this one here,” Chris Heyligers told CTV News Edmonton, pointing to a ditch behind her.
Five people were injured on a Parkland School Division bus and a semi in Spruce Grove on Nov. 4, 2022, including two elementary school boys who were seriously injured.
“There was quite a bit of blood on his face and hands. He was awake, though,” he said, speaking about an hour after the crash.
“I’m still shaking. And I actually cried. I was very upset. I’m traumatized because anyone who has children or anyone who has a heart, when you see a child hurt, you feel very helpless.”
A woman carries a child away from the scene of a crash at Diamond Avenue and Golden Spike Road in Spruce Grove on Nov. 4, 2022. The crash between a school bus and a semi injured three students and both drivers.
When CTV News Edmonton arrived on scene, the truck was on the side of the road and the school bus appeared to have significant damage to the passenger side.
It is not yet known what caused the crash. Const. Sarah Williams said it was too early to tell if road conditions were a factor.
A team of collision analysts had been called in to investigate.
The area was closed to traffic.
Five people were injured on a Parkland School Division bus and a semi in Spruce Grove on Nov. 4, 2022, including two elementary school boys who were seriously injured.
As Heyligers surveyed the wreckage around her, she remembered writing to the City of Spruce Grove several years ago with concerns about the intersection.
“I’ve seen a lot—and I mean a lot—accidents. Like, sometimes twice a month. Sometimes it’s just. I’ve seen, you know, some vehicles overturned. A few years ago, there was a minivan that had overturned a couple of times. Yeah, it’s just steady,” he told CTV News Edmonton.
Spruce Grove business owner Chris Heyligers remembers being one of the first people to the scene of a school bus and semi crash at Diamond Avenue and Golden Spike Road on Nov. 4, 2022.
She says the city told her five years ago that the intersection was deemed safe.
“That’s one of the reasons I’m vibrating,” Heyligers said.
“I’m hoping now that the city will take notice and actually do something… You know, in a lot of cases, I’ve seen intersections where there were too many accidents and they finally do something. Like, people have to die first? I don’t know. This is so close to death They escaped death [today]. Thank God.”
A Spruce Grove spokesperson confirmed to CTV News that the city received a complaint from a resident in 2016 and that a third party conducted a study of the intersection.
“The resulting data showed that an electronic signal (traffic light) was not warranted,” Jennifer Hetherington said.
Hetherington added that the intersection is not in the top 10 for accidents in the city, with one accident in 2020 and three in 2021.
A police officer takes pictures at the scene of a crash between a Parkland School Division bus and a semi at the intersection of Spruce Grove’s Diamond Avenue and Golden Spike Road on Nov. 4, 2022.
“I’ve certainly had a collision there myself,” said Const. Williams told CTV News Edmonton.
“It’s a high-traffic area. It’s one of our main thoroughfares. And, you know, high-traffic areas – especially at this time of day – will lead to more collisions. We know it’s an issue.”
The Parkland School District dispatched its trauma response team to support the students and families involved, as well as those at the school.
