School bus, logging truck collide in Barrhead on Nov. 2

A freak accident involving a Pembina Hills school bus and a semi-truck and trailer hauling logs occured earlier today, Nov. 2 at the intersection of 49th Street and 53rd Avenue near Barrhead Composite High School (BCHS).

According to an RCMP news release, the accident was reported to the Barrhead RCMP at approximately 8:37 a.m. Both the Barrhead Fire Department and RCMP attended the scene.

A notice posted to the Pembina Hills School Division website at 11:40 a.m. stated that one student was taken to the hospital for precautionary reasons. After examination, the doctor advised the student's parents to follow concussion protocols.

Otherwise, none of the other students on the bus at the time or the bus driver were injured. The driver of the semi-truck was also not injured.

As stated in the RCMP release, the investigation has determined that the truck was turning and multiple logs left the trailer and penetrated the side of the bus.

Barrhead RCMP Sgt. Bob Dodds, who was at the County of Barrhead council meeting that morning to deliver a quarterly report, said a collision reconstructionist was at the accident scene examining the evidence.

"We really dodged a bullet," said Dodds, referencing the lack of serious injuries.

There were traffic disruptions throughout the morning at that junction as RCMP members carried out their investigation. An alert sent out at 1:15 p.m. stated that the scene had been cleared.

-with files from Barry Kerton