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

A fatality inquiry report into the deadly rollover of a tour bus in Jasper National Park has determined that the accident was caused by a "catastrophic" brake failure resulting from neglected repairs. The Ice Explorer bus lost control on a road leading to the Athabasca Glacier in July 2020, tumbling approximately 50 meters down an embankment before coming to rest on its roof.

Three people lost their lives, and 14 others were seriously injured. According to the report by Justice Vaughn Myers from the Alberta Court of Justice, the primary contributing factors were the driver's decision to negotiate the lateral moraine in neutral without engaging the six-wheel drive and the bus's underperforming brakes due to wear and improper inspection.

The inquiry suggests that future inspection reports should be dated and detail the work done during inspections, as well as recommend that future buses be equipped with seatbelts.

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