Boyle RCMP responded to a call shortly after 7 p.m. Wednesday of a southbound SUV that collided with a northbound passenger bus on Highway 63 approximately 20 km north of Boyle. The driver of the SUV was pronounced deceased on scene. The Boyle Fire Department and EMS units were dispatched to the scene where they found the collision had hurled both vehicles into the ditch just north of Donatville. Five people on the bus were transported to Boyle and Athabasca hospitals and treated for minor injuries. Red Arrow Motorcoach stated on their website that the bus was one of theirs that had left Edmonton at 5 p.m. bound for Fort McMurray. By 11:30 p.m., passengers and their luggage were being transferred to another Red Arrow coach, before pressing on to Fort McMurray. Red Arrow said its Fort McMurray ticket office "will be open for their arrival " and that "for those heading to camp, transportation will be provided. " Alcohol has not been ruled out as a factor in the collision, according to Boyle RCMP Sgt. Kevin McGillivray in a media statement. Athabasca RCMP Sgt. Brian Scott stated earlier that day that while road conditions are not a sole factor in the high number of highway accidents these past few weeks, the abnormal temperature changes have led to dangerous driving conditions when snow and ice melts and freezes over again. Highway 63 was blocked off for a number of hours by T.E. Flagging Services at the Highway 55 turnoff as traffic was detoured via the Alpac connector to Township Road 674, while investigators combed through and cleaned up the accident scene. This story will be updated as more information becomes available.
