Greyhound bus flips over on Highway 97 south of Prince George
Trucker on scene says bus must have done a complete spin
Highway 97 has reopened after a crash involving a Greyhound bus forced its closure in both directions.
The bus flipped over on Highway 97 approximately 60 km south of Prince George, B.C. at around 8 a.m. Thursday.
Eight passengers and the driver were on board.
Five ambulances responded to the incident and nine patients were transported to hospital, three with serious, but not life-threatening injuries.
Keith Hill, a truck driver with over 26 years experience, six of those driving Highway 97, was caught up in the delays caused by the crash.
Hill told Daybreak North that conditions this morning were very slippery, as they had been for the past two days.
"I would describe it as black ice, because it didn't look slippery," he said.
'Put more sand down'
When the highway reopened Hill drove past the Greyhound bus.
"It was a northbound bus, but it was facing south bound on the south side of the road," he said.
"It had to have done a complete spin."
Asked what he thought may have caused the crash, Hill said there wasn't enough sand being spread on what is a particularly tricky patch of highway.
"Screw the budget," Hill said. "When it's this bad, put more sand down."
But John Andrusko, division manager for Emcon Services, the company responsible for highway maintenance in the area, told CBC News that Highway 97 had been sanded twice this morning before the accident.
Greyhound Canada told CBC News the company is cooperating fully with officials and has launched an investigation of its own.
With files from Betsy Trumpener, Ash Kelly and Andrew Kurjata