‘Catastrophic’ brake failure led to Columbia Icefield rollover that killed 3 people

A fatality inquiry report unveiled the cause of a deadly rollover accident involving a tour bus in Jasper National Park, resulting from a "catastrophic" brake failure and ignored repairs. The Ice Explorer bus, en route to the Athabasca Glacier at the Columbia Icefield, lost control on a road, tumbling down an embankment approximately 50 meters before coming to rest on its roof.

Tragically, three individuals lost their lives, and fourteen others were seriously injured in the incident that occurred in July 2020. The inquiry, held a year prior, found that the bus's brakes suffered a catastrophic failure due to wear, improper inspection, and unaddressed concerns about their functionality. Justice Vaughn Myers noted that the driver, unaware of the reasons, negotiated the lateral moraine in neutral without the six-wheel drive engaged.

Unable to utilize engine power to slow the bus, the driver had to rely on conventional braking, which may have been a natural reaction upon hearing the airbrakes. The report highlighted a lack of seatbelts as another contributing factor, as those who died were ejected from the vehicle during the rollover. Myers recommended that future inspection reports should be dated and detail the work performed during inspections.

The company, Brewster, conducted an internal investigation following the crash and subsequently added seatbelts to its buses and revised driver training.