The driver of a half-ton pickup truck was taken to hospital in stable condition after his vehicle was involved in a collision with a Prairie Spirit School Division school bus in a rural area southwest of Langham.
The collision happened at about 8:30 a.m. on Wednesday, March 3 on Township Road 382 a short distance west of the intersection with Range Road 3080.
There was thick fog blanketing the area at the time of the incident.
The bus driver and students on the bus at the time of the collision were not injured. The students were assessed by First Responders at the scene and taken to school in other vehicles shortly after the collision.
RCMP officers from the Warman-Martensville detachment responded to the scene quickly following a 911 call, along with First Responders from Langham Fire Department and Dalmeny Fire and Rescue.
Firefighters used extrication tools to free the driver of the white Chevrolet half-ton from the wreckage.
Medavie West Ambulance paramedics arrived shortly afterward and transported the man to hospital in Saskatoon.
In an interview at the scene, RCMP Corporal R.A. Knock said foggy conditions were a major factor in the collision.
“The eastbound bus was stopped and was picking up some kids,” said Knock. “And the truck was also heading eastbound.
“The driver didn’t see the bus until he was right on top of it. He swerved to his right in an effort to avoid the bus and just clipped the back end of the bus and then hit the ditch.”
Knock said the half-ton truck was travelling at a relatively low rate of speed. Still, the force of the impact with the bumper of the bus pushed in the driver’s door.
Knock said the driver ended up pinned inside his vehicle, which had come to a stop against a fence in the snow-covered ditch.
“It was a pretty scary situation,” said Knock. “But it could have been a lot worse. He managed to see the bus in time and take evasive action. Unfortunately, he was injured”
Knock said RCMP officers were on their way to the school follow up on the students’ condition once the collision investigation was concluded.