The Sherwood Park Crusaders bus was involved in a road traffic accident on the Queen Elizabeth II Highway on Saturday afternoon. No Alberta Junior Hockey League Team players or staff were injured.
Blowing snow and icy roads later prompted RCMP to close sections of the highway as officers were dispatched to numerous crashes.
Mounties told CTV News Edmonton on Sunday that a preliminary count showed more than 50 vehicles had either been involved in collisions or spun in the ditch along Highway 2 between Edmonton and Calgary the previous day.
Police are still working to finalize how many crashes officers responded to. As of publication, no serious injuries were reported in any of these incidents.
The Crusaders had played at Olds the night before, with their next game scheduled for Saturday at Blackfalds.
“It started as a regular road game for our hockey team,” said Evan McFeeters, the team’s head coach and associate general manager. “When we left Sherwood Park, the weather looked good. We always check the road reports beforehand. It looked OK, then it just turned around so fast.”
“CARS DOING 360’S HITTING EACH OTHER”#
“We do 30 of these trips across the province every year,” he added. “The weather was so much but nothing we haven’t seen before in all these years on buses.”
They were about 10 kilometers north of Ponoka when visibility deteriorated and the roads were icy, just about 25 minutes from the rink, McFeeters recalled.
“We continued into a huge pile-up where the bus driver told us all to hold on,” McPheeters said. “He did an incredible job of keeping us safe and upright, weaving chaos in front of us.
“We’ve seen it all,” he added. “We’ve seen cars doing 360s smashing into each other, half stabbing each other, but our bus driver is the hero of the day for us.
“Keeping us upright when we hit the ditch and avoiding collisions along the way until we finally stop.”
The Sherwood Park Crusaders bus was involved in a multi-vehicle collision on QE II on Saturday, November 5, 2022 (Credit: Christine Farkas).
After checking on all the players and staff, McFeeters said the team ended up giving water, snacks and shelter to other people stranded on the side of the road.
School buses from nearby Ponoka were dispatched to transport the group and all other stranded motorists to safety.
The group spent the night at the Ponoka Centennial Center after the city set up a temporary shelter.
“It was amazing for the boys to see the generosity of people in times of crisis or need,” McFeeters said. “We were well taken care of and we are so thankful for the RCMP and the responders all the way through the people and the town of Ponoka.”
A photo showing another crash near Olds, Alta., on Saturday, Nov. 5, 2022 (Source: Central Alberta Road Reports).
“THE ROADS WERE SURE TO BE INTENSE”#
Miles Muldaner was driving north on the QE II on his way home to Edmonton and described the stretch of highway near Ponoka yesterday as treacherous.
“The roads were definitely intense,” Muldaner said.
“There were basically groups of vehicles,” he added, “in the ditch in almost every way. Big vehicles, small, multiples, singles, there were a lot of them.”
In his view, too many motorists were driving too fast for the severe winter conditions and not allowing enough stopping distance.
“I saw a colleague accelerate to pass another vehicle, basically lose control, barely get it back under control and 10 seconds later do the same thing again,” he added.
RCMP say the final crash tally is expected to be released Monday.
With files from CTV News Edmonton’s Evan Kenny and Marek Tkach
