Traffic came to a standstill on Highway 99 east of Mount Currie on the evening of Thursday, March 7 after a bus collided with a tree.
BC Transit’s senior media relations and public affairs advisor, Jamie Weiss, said the bus made contact with the tree while pulling over on Highway 99 to let faster vehicles pass.
“This resulted in the tree falling on the bus and causing damage to its right side, including the windshield, front lights and side doors,” Weiss said, adding the crash resulted in some lost service on the route. “BC Transit appreciated the fast response by emergency services who arrived on the scene to support our driver and Transit Supervisor.”
Three people were on board at the time. Their injuries are believed to be minor.
The incident brought traffic to a complete standstill while emergency services attended the scene. The Pemberton local (Route 100) travels between the village and Mount Currie.
The fallen tree took up the width of the road.
Meanwhile, some locals are raising concerns about the safety of the route.
“I’ve witnessed the bus speeding and going over the yellow line as a passenger and as another driver on the road,” said Dana Rose Tilalus.
Pemberton RCMP investigations are ongoing according to Sgt. Sascha Banks. "At approximately 4:45 pm Pemberton RCMP were dispatched to a BC Transit Bus that had collided with a tree on Seymour Road at Lillooet Lake Road," she said. "Pemberton Fire Department and BC Ambulance Service were also on scene and several passengers had minor injuries. Pemberton RCMP are working with BC Transit to determine the cause of the collision."
Pique reached out to the Lil'wat Nation, and Pemberton Fire Rescue for comment, and will update this story as necessary.
More to come...
