Bus was carrying Come By Chance workers, bus company says injuries are minor
A fuel truck and a bus carrying workers from the Come By Chance refinery in eastern Newfoundland collided Monday morning, spilling thousands of litres of fuel and sending multiple people to the hospital.
The collision shut down traffic on the Trans-Canada Highway for much of the day. By late afternoon, one lane in each direction had reopened.
Bus company DRL owner Jason Roberts confirmed to CBC News one of his buses was involved in the crash.
He said the bus was passing a larger vehicle when both collided.
Two of the six people on the bus were taken to hospital with minor injuries, he said.
While Roberts didn’t know about the other vehicle involved or its driver, a spokesperson for the RCMP said they were not aware of any serious injuries stemming from the crash.
Both the RCMP and Whitbourne fire Chief Jamie Budden said a total of 23,000 litres of fuel was spilled on the highway, just west of the Long Harbour turnoff, about 100 kilometres from St. John’s.
Drivers had been asked to avoid the area and find another route around the scene.Traffic has been diverted through Norman’s Cove to Bellevue. Police reminded drivers that the detour “largely includes a residential area” with a posted speed limit of 50 km/h.
In a statement midday Monday, the RCMP said occupational health and safety officials with the Newfoundland and Labrador government are involved in the investigation.