Judge blames brake failure and ignored repairs for 2020 Columbia Icefield bus tragedy

In a fatality inquiry, Judge Vaughn Myers determined that the July 2020 rollover of a Pursuit-operated Ice Explorer on the Athabasca Glacier resulted from a total brake system failure compounded by neglected repairs. The bus was traveling down the steep Lateral Moraine Road in neutral, reached speeds of 41-49 km/h—far above its 14 km/h limit—and the driver could not slow it because only one of six wheels could brake effectively.

A driver-submitted report of brake slack five days before the crash was never acted upon, and a recent inspection by Wajax was found to be undocumented and unreliable. The accident killed Dionne Durocher, Kamleshbhai Patel and Griva Patel, and injured 14 others. Myers directed Pursuit to overhaul its maintenance documentation, enforce proper mechanic training, and install seatbelts, while recommending that OHS and Alberta Transportation adopt a standardized three-year inspection regime for similar vehicles.