By Troy Gillard - rdnewsNOW

School bus and pickup truck collide near Sylvan Lake

Apr 11, 2018 | 3:18 PM

SYLVAN LAKE- A Red Deer Catholic Regional Schools bus was involved in a head-on crash with a pickup truck this morning east of Sylvan Lake.

The collision occurred at about 7:30 a.m. on Highway 11A, just east of Range Road 11 when the eastbound school bus collided with the westbound truck.

“We were originally called by a member of the public stating that there was a vehicle on his property that he asked to leave. And then moments later we got a call from the public advising of this crash with the school bus,” says S/Sgt. Andrew Shepherd with Sylvan Lake RCMP.

There were eight kids on the bus between the ages of five and 11, none of them were injured. Their parents were notified and the children were taken to their school.

The woman driving the bus is shaken by the incident but is okay, Shepherd says.

Plan Ahead

Why Would You Pre-Plan Your Funeral?

Apr 03, 2024

Dying away from home

What Happens if You Die Away From Home?

Mar 04, 2024

Flag Retiring Ceremony

What Do You Do With Worn-Out Flags?

Feb 01, 2024

“Obviously, with the Humboldt tragedy, everybody is on edge more than they would be. But she did a good job and is in good shape. She’s a little shook up, but she’s going to be ok.”

The man driving the pickup had to be extricated from the vehicle following the crash and was taken to Red Deer Regional Hospital with undetermined injuries.

Shepherd said it’s too early to say whether the school bus or the truck crossed the centre line of the highway leading up to the collision. He says it appears the pickup truck was stolen.

Investigators are looking into the cause of the crash. Though a fog advisory was in effect for the Sylvan Lake area Wednesday morning, Shepherd doesn’t believe poor visibility played a role.

“I was the second officer on scene and the visibility was good. So there was no problem with that.”

Highway 11A remains closed in both directions between Highway 20 and Range Road 10.

Shepherd says the highway is expected to be closed until around noon.

Red Deer Catholic Regional Schools spokesperson Haleigh Packer says they have resources available to help students affected by the crash.

“Students are always encouraged to talk to their counselors that we have in each of our schools when situations like this arise,” Packer says. “We have supports in place with school counselors as well as family school enhancement counselors to talk about these situations. And we’ve put out letters asking parents to observe their students over the next few days to ensure that, if they need to, see a school counselor.”

The bus was serving the district’s S-47 route, according to Packer.