Courier van collides with BC Transit bus leaving 19-year-old student on life support.

Castlegar, B.C., Collision Unit, BC Highway Patrol

2022-07-04 09:01 PDT

File # 2022-3153

Update 2022-07-05: At this time police can confirm that the female is deceased. 

On June 30, 2022, a Purolator courier van collided with a BC Transit bus on Highway 3A near Castlegar, British Columbia, leaving a 19-year-old student passenger in grave condition on life support. The collision took place just after 4:30 pm when the BC Transit Bus headed eastbound on Highway 3A was sideswiped by an oncoming Purolator courier cube van. There were 16 students visiting from Quebec as part of a program at Selkirk College that were among the passengers. One of those, a 19-year-old female, was gravely injured as she sat next to the window where the van hit. The driver of the courier van remained at the scene. After her classmates attempted life-saving first aid, the injured student was transported to Trail Regional Hospital then Kelowna General Hospital where she remains on life support, although she is not expected to survive.

Highway 3A was closed for several hours while police from BC Highway Patrol, Castlegar Detachment, and the Collision Analyst & Reconstruction Service gathered evidence and recovered the vehicles involved. RCMP Victim Assistance and counsellors from Selkirk College have started the task of helping the involved students.

As BC Highway Patrol Nelson are attempting to determine why the courier driver crossed over the center line, they are looking for anyone, including anyone with dashboard camera video of pre-collision driving. Video from the BC Transit bus showed three vehicles, a blue 2 door coupe, a silver SUV, and an older grey Pathfinder, driving behind the courier driver who may have specific information. Anyone with information is asked to contact BC Highway Patrol Nelson at 250-354-5180 and cite file 2022-3153.

Released by

Insp. Chad Badry

OIC Kootenay Highway Patrol
BC Highway Patrol
1010 Second Street, Nelson, BC V1L 6A2
Office: 250-354-5146
Fax: 250-354-5126

Email: chad.badry@rcmp-grc.gc.ca

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