| Boys in Red accident | |
|---|---|
 | |
 | |
| Details | |
| Date | 0:08 AST (4:08 UTC)[1] January 12, 2008 |
| Location | Route 8 near Bathurst, New Brunswick |
| Statistics | |
| Vehicles | Ford Club Wagon, Mack truck |
| Passengers | 12 |
| Deaths | 8 |
| Injured | 4 |
The Boys in Red accident[a] occurred on January 12, 2008, just outside the city of Bathurst, New Brunswick, Canada. A semi-trailer truck and a van carrying the basketball team from Bathurst High School collided, which killed seven students, the wife of the coach, and injured four other occupants in the van.[2] It was the deadliest transportation accident in New Brunswick since 1989, when a logging truck tipped onto a hayride in Cormier Village, killing 13.[3] It was the deadliest bus accident involving a sports team in Canada until the Humboldt Broncos bus crash in April 2018.
The accident was followed by a national day of mourning in Canada, and a ban on all E350 Ford Club Wagon type vehicles being used for student transport in New Brunswick. Two investigations, one by the Royal Canadian Mounted Police (RCMP) and the other by Transport Canada, found that the cause of the disaster was a combination of poor road conditions, lack of proper snow tires, and possible driver error. Pressure from the public and victims' families prompted the chief coroner of the province to launch an inquiry, which produced recommendations to improve student transport safety in New Brunswick. The provincial government agreed with the majority of the suggestions and has since enacted many of them.
- ^ "Bathurst, N.B., prepares to mark van crash anniversary". Canadian Television. 2009-01-11. Retrieved 2009-01-11.[dead link]
- ^ "Bathurst high school unveils 'Boys in Red' memorial". Canadian Broadcasting Corporation. 2008-06-06. Retrieved 2008-10-25.
- ^ "Canada's worst road accidents". Ottawa Citizen. 2006-04-19. Archived from the original on 2012-11-07. Retrieved 2008-10-30.