June 15

Today the community of Dauphin will be unveiled a monument that will honor the lives lost a year ago in what is known as one of the deadliest crashes in Canadian history. Twenty-five people left Dauphin for a fun day at the casino in Carberry. The bus they were traveling on collided with a Semi-Trailor as they crossed Number 1 highway. Fifteen people lost their lives at the scene and ten were transported to hospital, in critical condition.  

Unlike most tragedies, in the days that followed, it seemed that very little information was released to the public. This may have been a choice of the families, or there may have been little to report. Now a year has passed, and I am reminded how quickly we move on in our lives.   

Recently, a lovely article came out about one survivor that has returned to Dauphin after six months of recovery and rehabilitation. The news clip is interviewing her children about the accident and the months that followed. As you can understand it was a difficult task to identify the occupants on the bus. Once the family were aware of the crash, they phoned the hospital and asked if their mother was there. Because she didn't have a tattoo to identify her, they told the staff member she would be wearing a gold cross. They were instructed to come immediately. Their mom had been thrown from the bus and they described her as broken from head to toe, she had 17 different devices to maintain her life. After six months in hospital and rehab she is now back in Dauphin. She has a brain injury and is not able to live in her own home again, and now lives in assisted living. I can't even imagine what this woman and her family has endured. 

In my search for information, I read an article that was written on July 17, one month after the crash. The article was announcing the second person that had died since being admitted to hospital. One woman had died just a few days after the crash and now another one month later.  That brought the total to 17 deaths and eight survivors. At that point in time, all eight were now out of ICU. 

The driver of the bus was one of the survivors of the crash. He is described as a well-known member of the community. The family that was interviewed said, "he took care of his passengers as his own". The family has chosen forgiveness over anger. They describe it as, "he just made a mistake". I read a report that was written a month ago. The driver was described as severely injured in the crash and at the time of the article the RCMP has not been able to interview him. 

I am sure the survivors are wondering, "why me". The Humbolt tragedy had young people that were just starting their lives. The Carberry tragedy was people at the end of their lives. My thoughts always go to the suffering that the survivors and their families endured. The months of sitting beside their loved one at the bedside or sadly for many they had the difficult task of planning a funeral.  

The cause of an accident is always investigated. Following the Carberry accident the intersection was addressed by many as the problem. Although, the intersection at Carberry is very busy, it is wide open. Solutions were offered to make it safer but currently there have been no changes made.  

I am never sure what we are to learn from disasters that resonate around the world. There has to be lessons, because the human loss and suffering is so high. The first responders and emergency crews are changed for the rest of their lives. It is impossible for them to unsee and unhear what they witnessed as they tried to help at the scene. 

The one thing that will always stand out for me was the kindness, generosity and unconditional caring shown at the time of the tragedy. The outpouring of financial and emotional support was unbelievable. In those situations that seems to be all we can do. These horrific accidents remind us that, in a split second, life as we know it could be changed forever. There are life lessons for us to learn from tragedies, and everyone has to decide for themselves what those lessons are.