A passenger involved in a multi-vehicle crash Sunday on a B.C. highway that left more than two dozen people injured said it happened out of nowhere.
Jordan Kawchuk was on his way home from Kelowna after a visit with his daughters.
He had on his headphones and was deep into a podcast when the bus tipped on the Coquihalla Highway north of Hope.
The crash Sunday night left this bus on its side in a ditch off the side of the Coquihalla Highway north of Hope, B.C. (Shane MacKichan)
"All of a sudden we found ourselves overturned," he told the CBC on Monday.
"I recall everybody standing up on an angle and people yelling, 'Get to the right, get to the right!' so we wouldn't tip further."
The bus was tilted to the side, balancing on two wheels, when the semi came barrelling down.
"It was our bus driver who said, over the intercom, 'Brace yourselves.' Then there was what seemed like a long silence, and then boom. Something hit us, which I now know was a semi truck," Kawchuk said.
"People went flying."
The crash involved two buses, two transport trucks and two passenger vehicles. Twenty-nine people were injured. (Shane Mackichan)
In all, two buses, two semi-trailers and two vehicles were caught up in the crash.
Twenty-nine people were taken to hospital and 136 who weren't injured — including Kawchuk — were taken to Hope Secondary School to warm up.
Responders worked for hours in the snow to free people trapped in vehicles. B.C. Emergency Health Services (BCEHS) said 22 ground and air ambulances were sent to the scene.
Jordan Kawchuk took this photo inside Hope Secondary School on Sunday night. The school became an impromptu warming centre for more than 130 people after the crash. (Jordan Kawchuk)
Greyhound Canada confirmed one of its buses was involved in the crash. It said 51 people, including the driver, were aboard and that one person suffered minor injuries.
BCEHS said the collision happened about 25 kilometres north of Hope. DriveBC put the location near Exit 183 or Othello Road.
The highway was closed in both directions between Hope and Merritt for six hours after the crash. Northbound lanes reopened shortly before 2 a.m. PT Monday.
Southbound lanes remained closed and weren't likely to reopen until at least noon.
On Sunday, B.C.'s Ministry of Transportation warned drivers to be careful on Highway 5 between Merritt and Hope because visibility was limited, although it hasn't been determined if visibility issues played a role in the crash.
Kawchuk, back home in Vancouver, said he remembers conditions on the road as "very white and snowy," but said it wasn't anything he hasn't taken the Greyhound through before.
Asked if he would take the bus again, Kawchuk said "absolutely."
"They were amazing, completely professional," he said. "I always feel safe on the Greyhound."
Greyhound said it would be launching its own investigation.
With files from CBC Daybreak South
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