Code orange ended for Prince George hospital following 25-person bus crash north of city

The University Hospital of Northern B.C. (UHNBC) in Prince George has declared the end of the code orange emergency it called earlier Friday, meaning it's no longer asking people to avoid visiting its emergency room.

The hospital made the declaration Friday morning following a bus crash near Mackenzie, north of the city. Northern Health says the emergency was declared over around 2:15 p.m.

A code orange is typically reserved for natural disasters and mass casualty events and is implemented to allow staff to focus on triaging treatment. Additional staff and managers can also be brought in as needed.

A joint statement from RCMP and Northern Health said approximately 30 people were on the charter bus when it crashed on a forest service road at about 8:30 a.m. PT. and initially reported no serious injuries. 

However, the Ministry of Health later said that one person was considered critical and that two others had initially been reported critical at the scene but were later assessed to be less urgent.

Northern Health spokesperson Eryn Collins has since clarified that none of the patients are in critical condition. She says seven are in hospital in fair condition, and 11 were in good condition, adding that fractures and lacerations are among the injuries that occurred. She confirms the 11 patients were discharged.

Speaking in Prince George Friday, Premier David Eby offered his condolences to those impacted by the Prince George crash, as well as the fatal bus crash in Manitoba that killed 15 and sent 10 more to hospital on Thursday.

"It's been a horrible 24 hours nationally for traffic collisions," he said. 

Bus carrying pipeline camp workers

RCMP Cpl. Jennifer Cooper said the bus was carrying pipeline workers along the Firth Lake Forest Service Road between Prince George and Mackenzie when the crash happened. The company responsible for the bus, Horizon North, has since clarified the crash occurred at the15.5 kilometre mark of Hambone Forest Service Road.

Coastal GasLink confirmed the bus was transporting workers employed by one of its camp providers.

Work camp operator Horizon North says the bus was transporting the Coastal GasLink employees to a work camp when it crashed.

"We are conducting a full investigation to determine the cause of the incident," Horizon North's statement said. "We are in the process of gathering additional information and will communicate with all relevant stakeholder groups as the situation develops."

WorkSafeBC said it had an officer attend the scene but did not provide any more information about a possible investigation.

Seven ground ambulances, three emergency health support units and multiple police officers are at the scene, with 18 people taken to hospital.

Cooper says the cause of the crash is still unclear, and efforts to reach those injured have been hampered by heavy rain and difficult road conditions, as the crash occurred on a forest service road.

Residents asked to avoid city's only ER

Before the code orange was declared ended, anyone without life-threatening injuries had been asked not to visit the emergency room at UHNBC, the city's only ER. 

The hospital serves a population of around 90,000 and is the major regional hub hospital for northern B.C.

Northern Health said patients with non-urgent surgeries and other procedures might be contacted about having appointments rescheduled.

Those in need of care were asked to instead visit their family doctor, the Prince George Urgent and Primary Care Clinic or use Northern Health's telephone and virtual care services.

Nurses and other staff at the hospital have been raising concerns about a lack of staffing in recent months, saying UHNBC is at a "breaking point" and describing long waits in the emergency room as patients line up to receive care.

Eby said the incident highlights the need for the province to act on increasing staffing and supports for front-line workers and pointed to several initiatives underway to increase recruitment and training of both new and internationally-trained nurses and doctors.

"We know there's a lot of work to do, and it's moments like this that we're reminded of the importance of it."