Not wearing seatbelts contributed to students' deaths in B.C. bus crash: coroner

A lack of seatbelt usecontributed to the deaths of two University of Victoria students who died in a rollover bus crash outside Bamfield, B.C., according to the provincial coroner.

Students Emma Machadoand John Geerdes, both 18 years old, were not wearing seatbelts when a charter bus carrying 43 other students left a gravel road and went down an embankment between Port Alberni and Bamfieldon Sept. 13, 2019.

Machado and Geerdes were partially ejected out a window as the bus went down the hill.

Neither student was wearing their seatbelt. Reports from the B.C. Coroner's Service said Thursday the coach bus had been refitted with approved seatbelts, but neither the driver nor school staff made students wear them.

The use of seatbelts on coach buses is not consistently regulated in Canada. Transport Canada is currently reviewing the national laws, the process having reportedly been expeditedafter 16 people on the Humboldt Broncos junior hockey team died in a crash in 2018.

The bus carrying UVic studentswas on its way to theBamfield Marine Sciences Centre for an annualfield trip when it crashed.

Aseparatereport last June made more than 40 recommendations to the university, saying dozens of changes needed to be madeto make future field tripssafer and to better support families in case ofdisaster.

The review found the school neededto improve its protocols for hazard assessments, trip-planning,student support and emergency response after falling short in those areas before and after the fatal crash.

It also said the school neededto ensure students wear seatbelts.

Safety issues on the narrow, winding gravel road to Bamfield have been known to the province for decades. The 83-kilometreroad has no cell service, rest stops or gas stationsand is a regular route for both commuters and logging trucks.

On the night of the crash, the bus steered to the right of the road to allow an approaching vehicle to pass. The wheels of the bus sank into the soft shoulder and the bus rolled off the edge.

Parents of students involved in the crash agreed the road needs to be fixed. Thereview said the families of Machado and Geerdesbelieve repairs were so critical, theywould rathersee road improvements prioritizedover the creation of memorial scholarships in their children's names.

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