1997 Les Éboulements bus accident
Encyclopedia
The 1997 Les Éboulements bus accident, also known as the St. Joseph Bus Accident, occurred on Thanksgiving
Day, October 13, 1997, in Les Éboulements
(St-Joseph-de-la-Rive), Quebec
, Canada
. 44 died as a result of the accident, making it the deadliest road accident in Canadian history.
, carrying members of a Golden Age Club on an overnight leaf peeping
trip, had traveled on Quebec Highways 138 and 362 from Saint-Bernard-de-Beauce headed for the Île aux Coudres. It was traveling down Côte des Éboulements, which had a steep hill with a sharp right turn at the base. The time was 1:45 pm, and the roads were dry and clear. The driver, André Desruisseaux, was unable to slow the bus to negotiate the curve, and the bus collided with the guardrail
, smashed through it and plunged over 10 meters into a ravine
. It landed, slid on its right side and came to rest beside an elevated railway line. The crash and fall slammed the occupants violently around the interior of the vehicle, injuring most of them fatally. No skid marks were found on the road at the site of the crash, leading authorities to immediately suspect brake failure. Witnesses also reported the smell of burning brake fluid coming from the bus.
There were 48 people aboard the bus, including the driver. Five survived the crash initially , however one of them succumbed to their injuries a month later. All the victims were senior citizen
s from the small village
of Saint-Bernard-de-Beauce, except for the 29-year-old bus driver, who was from Sherbrooke.
A similar accident had occurred in 1974 at the very same spot and had resulted in 15 deaths. Given the context, many were angry that nothing had been done to make the road safer since that time.
into the accident was ordered by the Government of Quebec
and was headed by coroner
Luc Malouin , but the provincial government immediately announced plans to rebuild the road to improve safety by relocating it and eliminating the sharp curve. The cause of the accident was determined to be brake
failure - the coroner determined that brakes only had 30 percent of their braking capacity, and that André Mercier, owner of the bus company Autobus Mercier, was not competent in managing his bus fleet
. Also contributing to the accident was the driver's exhaustion: he had less than 5 hours of sleep the night before the crash, and had been putting in over 50 hour work-weeks. On March 23, 1999, the coroner released his final report on the accident, maintaining his initial conclusions. He made several recommendations , but rebuilding the road was not among them.
and the slope has been reduced on the hill. All vehicles are required to stop before proceeding down the hill, and commercial vehicles are required to verify the correct operation of their brakes.
There are plans to build a lookout which would include an official memorial
site near the location of the accident providing a safe location for motorists who wish to visit the site. As of 2009, the lookout is now fully built and used for sightseeing. There is also a memorial built there for the victims of the accident, and the lookout offers an amazing view on l'Île-aux-Coudres shoulder
.
Thanksgiving
Thanksgiving Day is a holiday celebrated primarily in the United States and Canada. Thanksgiving is celebrated each year on the second Monday of October in Canada and on the fourth Thursday of November in the United States. In Canada, Thanksgiving falls on the same day as Columbus Day in the...
Day, October 13, 1997, in Les Éboulements
Les Éboulements, Quebec
Les Éboulements is a municipality in the Capitale-Nationale region of Quebec, Canada.Its population centres include Les Éboulements , Éboulements-Est , Cap-aux-Oies, Sainte-Marie-de-Charlevoix, and Saint-Joseph-de-la-Rive Les Éboulements is a municipality in the Capitale-Nationale region of Quebec,...
(St-Joseph-de-la-Rive), Quebec
Quebec
Quebec or is a province in east-central Canada. It is the only Canadian province with a predominantly French-speaking population and the only one whose sole official language is French at the provincial level....
, Canada
Canada
Canada is a North American country consisting of ten provinces and three territories. Located in the northern part of the continent, it extends from the Atlantic Ocean in the east to the Pacific Ocean in the west, and northward into the Arctic Ocean...
. 44 died as a result of the accident, making it the deadliest road accident in Canadian history.
Accident
The busBus
A bus is a road vehicle designed to carry passengers. Buses can have a capacity as high as 300 passengers. The most common type of bus is the single-decker bus, with larger loads carried by double-decker buses and articulated buses, and smaller loads carried by midibuses and minibuses; coaches are...
, carrying members of a Golden Age Club on an overnight leaf peeping
Leaf peeping
Leaf peeping is an informal term, commonly used in the United States, for people who travel to view and photograph the fall foliage in areas where foliage changes colors, particularly New England.The origin of the term "leaf peeping" is not well known....
trip, had traveled on Quebec Highways 138 and 362 from Saint-Bernard-de-Beauce headed for the Île aux Coudres. It was traveling down Côte des Éboulements, which had a steep hill with a sharp right turn at the base. The time was 1:45 pm, and the roads were dry and clear. The driver, André Desruisseaux, was unable to slow the bus to negotiate the curve, and the bus collided with the guardrail
Guardrail
Guardrail can refer to*Guard rails installed on road sides for automobile safety*RC-12 Guardrail, a U.S. Army intelligence-gathering aircraft based on the C-12 Huron*Roof edge protection, rails installed on roofs to protect construction and roofing workers...
, smashed through it and plunged over 10 meters into a ravine
Ravine
A ravine is a landform narrower than a canyon and is often the product of streamcutting erosion. Ravines are typically classified as larger in scale than gullies, although smaller than valleys. A ravine is generally a fluvial slope landform of relatively steep sides, on the order of twenty to...
. It landed, slid on its right side and came to rest beside an elevated railway line. The crash and fall slammed the occupants violently around the interior of the vehicle, injuring most of them fatally. No skid marks were found on the road at the site of the crash, leading authorities to immediately suspect brake failure. Witnesses also reported the smell of burning brake fluid coming from the bus.
There were 48 people aboard the bus, including the driver. Five survived the crash initially , however one of them succumbed to their injuries a month later. All the victims were senior citizen
Senior citizen
Senior citizen is a common polite designation for an elderly person in both UK and US English, and it implies or means that the person is retired. This in turn implies or in fact means that the person is over the retirement age, which varies according to country. Synonyms include pensioner in UK...
s from the small village
Village
A village is a clustered human settlement or community, larger than a hamlet with the population ranging from a few hundred to a few thousand , Though often located in rural areas, the term urban village is also applied to certain urban neighbourhoods, such as the West Village in Manhattan, New...
of Saint-Bernard-de-Beauce, except for the 29-year-old bus driver, who was from Sherbrooke.
A similar accident had occurred in 1974 at the very same spot and had resulted in 15 deaths. Given the context, many were angry that nothing had been done to make the road safer since that time.
Inquiry
An inquiryInquiry
An inquiry is any process that has the aim of augmenting knowledge, resolving doubt, or solving a problem. A theory of inquiry is an account of the various types of inquiry and a treatment of the ways that each type of inquiry achieves its aim.-Deduction:...
into the accident was ordered by the Government of Quebec
Government of Quebec
The Government of Quebec refers to the provincial government of the province of Quebec. Its powers and structure are set out in the Constitution Act, 1867....
and was headed by coroner
Coroner
A coroner is a government official who* Investigates human deaths* Determines cause of death* Issues death certificates* Maintains death records* Responds to deaths in mass disasters* Identifies unknown dead* Other functions depending on local laws...
Luc Malouin , but the provincial government immediately announced plans to rebuild the road to improve safety by relocating it and eliminating the sharp curve. The cause of the accident was determined to be brake
Brake
A brake is a mechanical device which inhibits motion. Its opposite component is a clutch. The rest of this article is dedicated to various types of vehicular brakes....
failure - the coroner determined that brakes only had 30 percent of their braking capacity, and that André Mercier, owner of the bus company Autobus Mercier, was not competent in managing his bus fleet
Fleet vehicles
Fleet vehicles are groups of motor vehicles owned or leased by a business or government agency, rather than by an individual or family. Typical examples are vehicles operated by car rental companies, taxicab companies, public utilities, public bus companies, and police departments...
. Also contributing to the accident was the driver's exhaustion: he had less than 5 hours of sleep the night before the crash, and had been putting in over 50 hour work-weeks. On March 23, 1999, the coroner released his final report on the accident, maintaining his initial conclusions. He made several recommendations , but rebuilding the road was not among them.
Controversy
Litigation by environmental groups who contested the government decision not to hold consultations and studies regarding the environmental impact of the work resulted in a one-year delay before road work could begin. Work began on June 7, 1999. Because the coroner had made no recommendations regarding the road, the government was criticized for spending public money in a wasteful manner.Road improvements
The road is now separated with a Jersey barrierJersey barrier
A Jersey barrier or Jersey wall is a modular concrete barrier employed to separate lanes of traffic. It is designed to both minimize vehicle damage in cases of incidental contact while still preventing crossover in the case of head-on accidents....
and the slope has been reduced on the hill. All vehicles are required to stop before proceeding down the hill, and commercial vehicles are required to verify the correct operation of their brakes.
There are plans to build a lookout which would include an official memorial
Roadside memorial
A roadside memorial is a marker that usually commemorates a site where a person died suddenly and unexpectedly, away from home. Unlike a grave site headstone, which marks where a body is laid, the memorial marks the last place on earth where a person was alive - although in the past travelers were...
site near the location of the accident providing a safe location for motorists who wish to visit the site. As of 2009, the lookout is now fully built and used for sightseeing. There is also a memorial built there for the victims of the accident, and the lookout offers an amazing view on l'Île-aux-Coudres shoulder
Shoulder (road)
A hard shoulder, or simply shoulder, is a reserved area by the verge of a road or motorway. Generally it is kept clear of motor vehicle traffic...
.