A man who lost his wife when an all-terrain tour bus rolled over at Columbia Icefield in the Rocky Mountains is hitting RCMP for answers about what happened.
Three people were killed and 14 others suffered life-threatening injuries on July 18, 2020, when the red-and-white Ice Explorer lost control on its way to the Athabasca Glacier, about 100 kilometers east of Jasper, Alta. male.
The bus with 27 people on board rolled about 50 meters down a moraine embankment before stopping on its roof.
Tarun Patel, 34, and his wife Griva, 28, decided to take the trip for a weekend away from their home in Edmonton after being locked in during the COVID-19 pandemic.
Patel, who was seriously injured, said he was taking pictures by the window and his wife was sitting next to him.
“I felt like the bus was going very fast,” Patel told The Canadian Press. “I thought that was probably normal, because there must be a slope or something so I let it go. Then someone’s head just hit something.
“Someone shouted quite loudly. I don’t remember anything after that because I don’t know how long.”
Patel said he woke up to find he had been thrown off the bus. He said his friend, who was standing in front of him, pulled Patel’s scalp down after it peeled off his head.
There’s blood everywhere.
His friend started calling his wife and “I realized where is mine? I shouted my wife’s name – ‘Griva, Griva’ – twice. There is a policeman. He was standing right next to me,” Patel said.
“He caught my attention and showed me my wife in the body bag right next to me. He asked me to recognize her face. I said to him, ‘That’s my wife,’ and then he said to me, ‘She’s no more.’ ‘
RCMP has not yet released a report on the transition. It was originally promised this spring and then fall. Now it is not expected until next spring.
“Once the Alberta RCMP investigation is complete, the results will be forwarded to the Alberta Crown Prosecution Service for advice on whether the evidence supports any criminal charges,” said the RCMP Cpl. or not. Deanna Fontaine.
“The RCMP investigation is independent of other investigations by federal and provincial investigators.”
At least two lawsuits were filed on behalf of those on the bus that day, including one by Edmonton attorney Rick Mallett.
His recommendation, which will be heard by a judge in January, is to ask for a court order directing the RCMP to deliver a complete or partial copy of the report and all other police records concluded. associated with the conversion.
Patel, who broke both knees along with a head injury, just wanted to know what happened.
“We went for a weekend and she never came back. I ended up in the hospital for three months. ”
He says he’s doing well physically, but “emotionally, I’ve had some pretty bad breakdowns.”
Patel still wears his wife’s fitness watch as a “24-7” reminder of her.
“Please give us the report as soon as possible,” he demanded. “I’ve lost my wife and I want to know what happened and how it happened.”
Tours of the Ice Rink resumed last May. Seat belts have been added to buses and changes to driver training and road maintenance have been made.
Pursuit, the company that operates the tours, did not respond to a request for comment.
This report by the Canadian Press was first published on December 19, 2021.
