Motorists consider safety while visiting memorial near intersection of deadly Manitoba bus crash
Marilyn Wiebe revisited intersection to pay respects, remember what it looks like apart from deadly crash
Marilyn Wiebe laid flowers Sunday at a growing memorial near the intersection of Highway 5 and the Trans-Canada Highway, just north of Carberry, Man.
On Thursday, Wiebe was driving her regular route to Russell, Man. As she approached the intersection, she noticed traffic was being rerouted, she said, signalling to her that something had happened.
"I was devastated when I saw what I thought was carnage at the intersection," Wiebe told CBC News on Sunday.
"I kept thinking, 'There were two lanes. There were two lanes. What happened? Why did this have to happen?'"
On Thursday, a transport truck travelling east on the Trans-Canada Highway collided with a southbound minibus that was trying to cross the intersection, Manitoba RCMP said.
The bus was carrying a group of seniors from Dauphin, Man., to the Sand Hills Casino near Carberry, about 150 kilometres south. The collision killed 15 people and sent 10 others to hospital.
Places of worship in Dauphin, a city of roughly 8,000 people in western Manitoba, dedicated parts of their weekly Sunday services to praying and mourning for the crash victims, as well as for the community.
RCMP have previously said the semi had the right-of-way at the time, but the investigation into possible causes of the crash is ongoing.
In the meantime, Wiebe is encouraging everyone on the roads to slow down and drive defensively.
"I think every intersection along the Trans-Canada is dangerous," Wiebe said. "People have to start slowing down. We can't depend on other people to follow the rules."
Veteran trucker visits site
Derek Kodecki, a veteran trucker, stopped at the memorial Sunday on his way home to Calgary after dropping off a freight in Winnipeg.
He estimates that he has driven past the intersection where the crash occurred up to 30 times over the past 40 years, for both business and pleasure, he said.
"It's definitely a wake-up call," said Kodecki, who has had close calls on the highways himself.
The intersection contains stop and yield signs. So in theory, there shouldn't be any accidents, Kodecki said, but humans make mistakes.
He noted that the speed limit on the Trans-Canada drops from 110 km/h to 100 km/h within a couple of kilometres of the intersection, but he said that isn't enough.
He suggested adopting something similar to the highway near Moose Jaw, Sask., which forces drivers to slow down to 80 km/h and has photo enforcement installed to deter speeding.
"It's about time that's instituted here," Kodecki said.
History of crashes
A total of 29 crashes occurred at the intersection of the Trans-Canada and Highway 5 from 2012 to 2021, the latest year where exact data is available, a provincial government spokesperson previously told CBC News.
Twelve of those collisions resulted in an injury being reported. One involved a fatality, the spokesperson said.
Seven of the collisions involved animals, whereas 22 were vehicular crashes, they said.
"We haven't had any major incidents like we had on June 15. Nothing like that, ever," said Jas Verma, owner of the Robin's Nest Motel and Cafe, located near the intersection of Highway 5 and the Trans-Canada.
Verma moved to the area less than a year ago, he said. But in that time, he has noticed the intersection sees a lot of traffic every day.
Some locals, he said, have raised the issue of installing traffic lights at the intersection, or orange signs further down the road warning motorists of an upcoming intersection.
"If they can do that, then I think they'd be a lot better off here," Verma said.
Some people have left flowers at the intersection now that police have cleared the scene. One person hung a dreamcatcher from one of the flower stems.
Wiebe felt it was important to visit the intersection again, to remind herself of what it's usually like — and she encourages others who drive past it often to do the same.
"There are people who have to drive that road — enter that intersection — every day," Wiebe said.
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With files from Gavin Axelrod