Driver in fatal crash did not hold proper licence: OPP

Police have confirmed the cause of a horrific crash that killed 11 people on a country road near Stratford, Ont. A passenger van drove straight through a stop sign, into the path of a tractor trailer. Seamus O'Regan reports.

CTV Southwestern Ontario: Crash investigation continues

OPP say a horrific crash that killed 11 people in Hampstead is believed to have been caused by driver error. Art Baumunk has the details.

CTV Southwestern Ontario: Mourning the men lost

Sadness and loss is being felt both locally in Ontario and a world away in Peru, where the families of those lost in the car crash are mourning. Correspondents have more on the tributes.

CTV Southwestern Ontario: Crash memorial set up

Those trying to understand the loss and wishing to pay their respects have turned the site of the crash in Ontario, that killed 11 people, into a makeshift memorial. Nicole Lampa has more.

CTV Toronto: Driver of migrant workers made deadly error

A horrific crash that left 11 people dead was caused by a driver who ran through a stop sign and failed to yield to traffic, OPP said Wednesday. Tamara Cherry and Paul Bliss report.

CTV News Channel: OPP on the investigation

The OPP say there are a lot more questions than there are answers and they are working diligently to bring some understanding and closure to a heartbreaking event. They also say the crash was preventable.

CTV News Channel: WSIB to cover crash expenses

Stan Raper, national director of the United Food and Commercial Workers Union, reacts the the WSIB's decision to cover the medical and travel costs of the crash in Hampstead, Ont.

CTV News Channel: German Gutierrez, activist

A community activist says many migrant workers live in isolation, work long hours and have no contact with the community.

CTV News Channel: John Vennavally-Rao in London

Authorities are putting the blame on the driver for failing to stop at a stop sign and not yielding to oncoming traffic.

CTV News Channel: Seamus O'Regan in Hampstead

A CTV National News correspondent says friends and family of the victims grieved at the crash site, showing the victims had a support system in Canada. He also explains it is still unknown whether the remains will be flown back to Peru for burial.

CTV News Channel: OPP on the crash, survivors

Members of the OPP say they are contacting the victims' next of kin, and say the survivors of the horrific crash are alive and in hospital.

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David Armando Blancas-Hernandez, 45, is seen in this undated image. Blancas-Hernandez was killed in the fatal collision. (Handout)

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ctvtoronto.ca

Date: Wed. Feb. 8 2012 10:05 PM ET

The driver of a passenger van mangled in a devastating southwestern Ontario crash that ended in multiple deaths was not legally licensed to drive the oversized vehicle, provincial police said on Wednesday.

The driver, who was among the 11 people killed in Monday's crash, did not brake at a stop sign and failed to yield to traffic with the right of way, OPP Insp. Scott Lawson said on Wednesday.

"It was this action that caused the collision," Lawson told a news conference.

Provincial police continue to investigate the circumstances that led to a devastating crash that killed 11 people and left another three in hospital.

A flatbed truck and a 2007 GMC Savana passenger van collided shortly before 5 p.m. on Monday at an intersection in Hampstead, Ont., northeast of Stratford.

Ten people inside the van, all migrant workers from Peru, and the 38-year-old truck driver were killed in the crash.

"This crash should cause all Ontarians to pause and seriously consider their own driving habits and change them for the better immediately," OPP Insp. Steve Porter told reporters.

On Wednesday, investigators released the names of the 13 migrant workers – all from Peru – involved in the crash, identifying David Armando Blancas-Hernandez as the driver.

The 45-year-old held an Ontario licence to legally drive common vehicles, but did not hold the Class F licence needed to operate the 15-passenger van involved in the crash.

On Wednesday, OPP released the names of the migrant workers killed and injured in the crash:

David Armando Blancas-Hernandez, 45
Jose Mercedes Valdiviezeo-Taboa, 49
Cesar Augusto Sanchez-Palacios, 53
Enrique Arturo Leon, 47
Corsino Jaramillo, 47
Mario Abril, 48
Oscar Compomanes-Corzo, age unknown
Juan Castillo, age unknown
Elvio Bravo-Suncion, age unknown
Fernando Correa, age unknown

Edgar Sulla-Puma, 26, was injured in the crash and remains in hospital in fair condition.

Juan Ariza, 35, and Aberlardo Alba-Medina, 38, remain in hospital in critical condition. The workers, all from Peru, had been living in Canada and working at a poultry farm vaccinating chickens near the crash site.

Several grieving family members gathered at the crash site on Tuesday, tearfully laying down flower bouquets and comforting one another near tire tracks left marking the fatal crash.

A prayer vigil for the crash victims will be held at a nearby church later this week. The non-denominational service is scheduled for 7 p.m. on Friday at St. Joseph Catholic Church in Stratford.

The Diocese of London says the service is to remember the victims of the crash and their families as well as to show appreciation for emergency personnel.

Police and EMS workers on the scene said the crash was so severe that it was a "miracle" that anyone had survived.

Transportation Minister Bob Chiarelli said on Tuesday that all the facts surrounding the crash must be examined

"It's not a clear-cut accident, obviously, with one stop sign and one through street," Chiarelli told reporters Tuesday. "So we need to look at the facts.

"It is so serious, it is so severe and it is so sad really that this thing can still happen, that we've got to be so comprehensive that we do everything possible to ensure that it never happens again."

There are reports that some of the victims had only recently arrived in Canada, but officials said Tuesday some had been living here for years.

Christopher Fulton, of London, was driving the truck involved in the crash and was also pronounced dead at the scene.

His employer, Speedy Transport CEO Jared Martin, said Fulton was celebrating his 11th wedding anniversary on the day of the crash.

Comments are now closed for this story

Randy
said

The driver of the van did have a drivers license...just not the proper license to operate a 15 passenger van. The accident was caused by the driver not stopping at a stop sign, something he should have known to do given that he did have a "regular" drivers license. The accident didn't happen because he didn't have the experience to drive the van, it was more likely due to distractions or a setting sun which prevented the driver from seeing the stop sign or even the other highway.

Debb
said

It's easy to say "driver error". But whether or not the driver had a valid driver's license is not the reason for the crash. If the driver had sun in his eyes, or if another vehicle obscured the sign could be causes for the missed stop. Or perhaps there was excess speed on one or both drivers. We won't know and can't know. But until a full investigation and report is made, it's just all speculation and hurtful speculation towards the families involved.

so very, very sorry
said

Like others, I feel so terribly sorry for all of the families afflicted by this tragedy. Here they come to Canada from Peru,in hopes of some income for a better life, and now this. And the flatbed truck driver, killed on the job, just earning his living. Blessings and peace for all, and for the families at this difficult time. Those rural roads can be a horror; perhaps their very light traffic causes reduced alertness until disaster strikes. For certain, there should be those red flashing lights on the top and bottom of all those stop signs. Expense, yes, but also enhanced safety on those roads. This could well be a municipality's life and death decision.

william ontario
said

why should ontario motorists reflect on their driving habits because someone chooses to carry out of country people with improper licence? not trying to be insensitive but i sure think the cops are

Norm_D
said

OK everyone lets wait for the results of the investigation to be completed and finalized. That can take weeks if it is to be thorough. What everyone is doing now is expressing conjecture based on half truths just because all of the truths (facts) are not yet known. Bottom line is we just don't know everything yet and we shouldn't be pointing fingers based on this.

unul
said

case closed. nobody's at fault but the driver and the owner of the van. let's lot look to other flaws where there are none.

Kim in NB
said

Munro - Why would you assume a migrant worker wouldnt have a cell phone?

I keep reading the comments on this story and I am saddened... did anybody actually read the story? The van driver was at fault. He ran a stop sign. End of story. I dont care if he had no license at all - makes no difference. He ran the stop sign, the truck broad sided him. Why is everyone so confused?

Chris
said

My sympathy goes out to all the families involved, and to those who had to witness this terrible accident.

Anne - I would appreciate an explanation as to the "shrugging and winking around rules in the farm industry."

If you have any facts or a different definition for "shrugging and winking" please enlighten us.

I hope any of you that have condemned anyone involved in this tragedy live a perfect life and Never make a mistake that would lead to the loss of anyone's life.

Tim, Ontario
said

TO maggie. peters, Speedy Transport was the employer of Chris Fulton the driver of the Flat Bed Truck, and was driving a company vechile. And neither vechile was rented.

This is a very very sad event that has no barring on the licence held. A stop sign was ran and as other have stated, it is not a great intersection and error in judgement or plain old distraction has occurred. Perhaps the driver of the van suffer a medical condition, such as a heart attack, just as the van was reaching the intersection. Having a G licence or an F licence, does not control the errors one can make. How about we let the police do their job and gather the evidence before we jump to our own uneducated conclusions.

razz
said

Just for the record everywhere in the world a stop sign means stop. It doesn't matter what type of drivers he had. He failed to stop for what ever reason. This was a accident and hopefully this will not dictate more laws. It was a accident so we should leave it at that. My prayers are with the family during this difficult time.

Getreal
said

It's nice to know that it wasn't a problem with the van, now those 2 mothers in NB can stop pestering the rest of us.

D. Vancouver
said

It matters not at all to me who was at fault. This is terrible tragedy. Let's get rid of those unstable vans. Let's get in some decent legislation that protects farm workers, migrant or otherwise. My heart goes out to all involved.

Karry
said

My thoughts and prayers go out to the family of the truck driver that was killed in this terrible accident. Everyone seems to have forgotten about him.

Linda In The Valley
said

@ Gabriela....Thou this is an horrific loss of life, please don't say our health care system is 'Free", because it is not, we all pay for same, through our taxes (employee/employer) and the rest of us. God I'll be getting an email from State Side saying "See "FREE" solialized medicine!!!I am in no way down playing this accident.

sara
said

I too am disappointed that there is little or no media coverage on the young man driving the truck, he is in fact, an innocent victim, trying to avoid the crash might have cost him his life, so he must not be forgotten in the midst of this tragedy.

WestofTheRockies
said

So......having the correct licence would have prevented this ACCIDENT? What does the size of the van or the fact this guy may not have had the correct licence, have to do with not stopping at a stop sign? Nothing of course, it wouldn�t have made one bit of difference. Had he been driving a mini-van full of people instead (which requires no special licence)the same accident would have occurred. A lot of people are dead and all many of you can do is assign blame,to someone, anyone... like that�s going to help any of these victims. Well, I hope you all feel better.

Brenda
said

Cont..My heart goes out to all the families but the tragedy is being overshadowed by the reporting of the poor working conditions to pulling those vans off the road...My husband is a truck driver so we know first hand when a tragedy strikes involving a semi fingers point. these drivers spend piles of money keeping their rigs to meet todays standards So the story should read tragedy for 11 people .

Brenda
said

What a tragedy indeed.Although the CTV reporting leaves me and others a bit baffled. I like many others need to know why the legal canadian truck driver with the proper credentials was hardly even mentioned as to how hard he works or perhaps a trust fund set up for his family or the

Joyce Clements
said

As the wife of a truck driver, my deepest sympathy and condolences go out to the families of everyone involved in this horrific accident. My heart goes out to Mrs. Fulton and her family.Being that my husband does the same work yours did,it touches my heart deeply.

Don
said

The class of driver's licence held by the driver is irrelevant. It's very basic; he/she blew a stop sign and failed to wait until it was safe to proceed. This rule of common sense applies to holders of all classes of driver's licences including a learner's. Shall we say it applies to the operator of the vehicle irregardless of the bells and whistles he/she has stuffed in his/hers wallet/purse.......driving without due care or attention

Norm in Ontario
said

OMG people, I'm not believing what I'm reading in the comments. The accident was caused by the van driver running a stop sign. Had nothing to do with the safety of the van. The young man driving the flatbed lost his life because a stop sign was not heeded. This was a very unfortunate turn of events and my immediate sorrow goes out to all the families but especially to the family of the flatbed truck who was killed by a driver who ran a stop sign. My sorrow goes out to all the families of the workers killed because a driver ran a stop sign."F" or "G" doesn't matter. The safety of the passenger van doesn't matter. The driver ran the stop sign and caused the accident.

Maureen
said

John Lethbridge - The F class license has been around for years. My husband, a professor, needed an F license in the 1980s to drive the van that took his students on field trips to the Bruce Peninsula.

Bob T
said

We don't need an inquest , what we need is for the OPP to inspect everyone one of these types of strech vans , and their in the province . We also need all of the crap cars and trucks that are on the road taken off . Every day , on the way home from work , I see a 20 yr old pickup with scrap metal hanging over the sides and I see fenders on old trucks held on with rope .

Wayne C.
said

Apart from sympathy for the families, my first thought is "what the hell is wrong in Peru that these people have to travel thousands of miles to chase chickens for 8.00 an hour?
When things get that bad in your country ....change it don't leave it.

pappy :-)
said

Fault is not one of my immediate concerns at this moment.

My main concern is to feel compassion for all the people who have been hit by this tragedy.

I feel that it was most likely an act of God, but whatever his reason was, I cannot fathom. I drive a lot myself, and I know what it is like to be driving westbound at that time of the day, that time of the year, in that location. The driver of the van was quite likely totally blinded by the sun.

It is very hard to not cry when I think of all of the families lives that have been changed because of this accident. I truly feel very, very sorry for all of them.

Terribly Sorry
said

I would like offer my sincere condolences to any family members reading this website. I would also like to apologize for the usual "clan" of ultra-right "hard liners" commenting here who instead of offering you condolences in your time of sorrow, they feel the need to reprimand you with finger-pointing and judgement. I hope they are shown the same in their next time of grief.

Mike
said

The only thing that will come of not being properly licensed is that it will create a loophole for the insurance company, if there was any insurance at all.

John Lethbridge
said

From the MTO website, it is certainly not clear that Class G licence is NOT sufficient for this van (check it out...) MTO needs to make this requirement much clearer on their website, etc. In Alberta, we can drive these vans with our regular Class 5 license, unless transporting passengers for hire. In that case, we need a Class 4, even for just a taxi/car. In Ontario, a class G is good enough for a taxi, so they haven't made that 'transport for hire' distinction either.

BC Ottawa
said

More cargo, more weight more braking knowledge, so yes improper licencse classification is a serious issue and against the law. Regardless of license classification, everyone must stop for a stop sign. The result is so tragic. I pray for all those families.

DJR
said

It was a sad and tragic thing to happend but what was even sadder is that some people put the sole blame on the trucks sussposiddly speeding down there yet it is an 80 klm/hr zone. Other traffic also speeds thru there such as cars, vans, suvs, and minivans as well as trucks. The police have allready proven as tragic as it was that the van driver was at fault there. If they think its so bad there then a saftey blitz on all types of vehicles should be in place there. Even another passenger van caused an accident on the QEW this morning. Again condolences and prayers to the families.

hartz48
said

every time there is a wreck that a big truck they all ways blame the truck driver well i hate to break to yall but sometime there are crazy 4 wheeler that are all ways text and driver and never look were there going there all ways cut of truck and things alone the line how about you take a look and redo ur invagtion on that there are crazy people that driver cars all the time and i am sick and tired of the driver being blmae for everything start crake down on the 4 wheeler give them the big tickets like 2,750 fines so they well know how the truck driver fell next time yall have something to say dont make the truck driver to be bad come on cut them a break im tell yall when a driver has to run over someone because of the cut off an thing he feel just as bad so i think alot of yall 4 wheeler get a life and dont blame the truck driver

Glenn in Milton
said

It is very unfortunate that this accident occured and the loss of life is terrible. However, look around in your daily travels and observe just how many vehicles blow thru stop signs ALL the time. I have a neighbor here in my town with two little ones that blows through the stop sign on our street like it doesn't exist. Not a rolling stop, just driving thru it and making a right turn as well. This action is commonplace and a potentially deadly habit to form. Regardless of the licencing requirement, IF the stop sign was run thru, it probably would have happened anyway. May all their souls rest in peace.

stan regina
said

Why is vry little said about the young man in the fatbed truck. What about his family esp about his wife an children on his 11th wedding anniv.we all have to look at r own driving habits my heart goes out to all the families in this case.it makes no diff about the the van or the mans licence.or the fact they were migrant workers. God bless thm all

Stan Regina sk

Rev in VC
said

Hate it when people run stop signs. They do it here all the time (and I imagine everywhere in the country too) because they think there's no traffic coming. Saw one do it the other day and almost cause an accident. Everybody needs to heed to the rules of the road because frankly, best case you get through no problem, worst case you put you, your passengers, and the people in the other vehicle at risk.

Ty
said

Why is everyone blaming the van for these deaths, there isn't much out there that is going to take a side impact from a flat bed and have people walk away. By banning large vans, we should the ban family vans because they carry up to 7 people at a time. That's more then a family sedan. Same goes for the basket ball team from Bathurst. I'm sorry for the loses of all the families in both situations, but in both situations the vans hit a transport basically. What about the children on school buses. How many kids do you think are on there WITHOUT SEATBELTS. What do you think is going to happen to a bus impacted on the side? Unfortunately this is a risk everyday that everyone takes when getting behind the wheel.

DonnyB2
said

There is very little involved in getting an "F"-class licence versus a regular "G" class. Basically you need to pass a written exam that has a few "bus"-specific questions and take a driving test in an "F" class vehcile (e.g. a 15 passenger van). So having that licence wouldn't have changed anything. I used to have an F-class licence, exactly to be able to drive 15-passenger vans for geology field trips. They are terrible vehicles, usually underpowered when full, and not exactly Porsche-like in their handling. For transport, they are the only game in town between a minivan and a bus. I wouldn't be sorry to see them banned, though in the case of this accident, I don't think it would have have much difference what you were driving when broadsided by a large truck.

GKnightBC
said

"The driver of a passenger van mangled in a devastating southwestern Ontario crash that ended in multiple deaths was not legally licenced to drive the oversized vehicle, provincial police said on Wednesday."
Upon looking at the licensing requirements on the Ontario Highways Website, anyone with a legal license to drive a passenger vehicle is permitted to drive a 15 or less passenger vehicle. It is only 16+ passenger vehicles that require Class F licenses.
The drive was legally licensed to drive that van, although those vans are known to be unstable when loaded.

Trena
said

Regardless of who was at fault, I can only say God Bless these families. I can't imagine the pain they must be feeling. I hope the families receive monetary compensation for their loss and the income their loved ones cannot provide now. My heart goes out to the families.

10-78
said

While the driver may not have held an "F" class license, let's not put our faith in this being a large contributing factor to the crash that we can eliminate through regulation. To get an "F" class DL is easily accomplished by taking a multiple choice 15 question test for about $15 the next time you renew your license. There is no training or road test.
Keep it in perspective. If your license expired today and you got in a crash tomorrow, is the status of your license a REAL contributing factor or is human error more likely the cause?

Don
said

It doesn't matter if the driver had the proper licence, regardless it was still a terrible accident in an isolated part. Even a proper licence this still could have happened. Human error and distraction was more than likely the cause, very sad indeed.

Mike
said

Licensing does not rectify the problem of someone choosing to run a stop sign. He had a G license and should have known better. But even if licensing is to blame then the questions of who owned the van and why wasn't he properly licensed to drive it? Did the farmer own the van? Were they covered by health care and if not why not? Are we promoting slavery on our farms?

Cynthia Moore
said

Lynn: I'm glad I'm not the only one that noticed that the truck driver who was killed through the negligence of the van driver was barely mentioned at all. Shame on you CTV for treating him as less of a victim than the workers in the van.

I also have to say that as a professional truck driver, it DOES matter who is at fault. Every time a truck is involved in an accident, there's a huge fuss and everyone usually comes down on the head of the truck driver and then the hysteria starts about how truckers need more restrictions, we're all dangerous, etc, etc. In this case it's the van's fault and everyone's saying "Oh, what a terrible accident". That's BS. It was bad driving on the part of the van driver. Maybe we should all be in hysterics calling for tougher licensing laws.

Jimin Ontario
said

i don't see where a different licence would have made a difference in this accident. No doubt all were tired, likely talking the the driver was likely doing both and distracted. I might add that it is a joke to get a licence in this province.

Doug ^^^ BC
said

It was an "accident" people. It was the fault of a driver who did not stop for a stop sign.I also totally agree with URU and others who ask why this driver was diving a vehicle that he was not licensed to drive.Perhaps the owner should be asked that question too.In BC,farm workers are often going to and from work in questionable vehicles.There are checks,but you cannot expect government to check everyone.All of our laws rely on people using common sense,and do a little bit of self policing.
On the roads.It is rarely the fault of the road.We improve the roads all the time.What happens after they get fixed? People drive even faster,because the road looks safer.
Condolances and sympathy for all those involved.But over reacting and over analyzing is never going to stop "accidents" from happening.Most "accidents" are caused by people who failed to recognize a risk,and take the proper precautions.There are no laws anywhere that can legislate against felony stupid.

Maggie Peters-Sarnia ON
said

The law states that the company renting the vehicle must check to see if the driver has the proper licence and keep a photostat copy of the licence and also must have insurance.The driver did not have the proper licence. My sympathy goes to all the families and especially to the family of the young tractor trailer driver who was killed.

jon
said

you cant blame someone simply because they dont have specific licence...

Mike
said

Slavery is alive and well in Canada. What hypocrites our politicians are.

maggie. peters
said

Speedy Transport should be charged for renting a vehicle to a person with the improper licence.They had to know you required a different licence to operate a van or this size.My sympathy goes out to the families and especial sympathy to the young man driving the transport truck.The law states people renting vehicles must check for the proper licence to drive the vehicle and to have a photostat copy.

MJ
said

You know it doesn't matter who was at fault the truck driver or the van driver. The issue now is how can this be prevented from happening again, but most important of all, these people who have died have now left all these loved ones to carry the pain of losing them for the rest of their lives. Eventually the investigation will sum up the reason for this horrific crash but the families will live with this pain for the rest of their lives.

dan
said

Let's not point fingers. It's a tragic situation for every one involve. I am really sorry for their loved ones.

John in Kanata
said

(Big A). The article was updated after I wrote my original comment. At the time it stated that the driver of the truck appeared to be at fault (or something like that). This was before the news conference. (John Lethbridge). The requirement for Class F licences for passenger vans over 10 passengers has been around for decades. When I was in college 30 years ago, I drove the college basketball team to their games in a passenger van. I was required to attend a special course and the driver's test was exceptionally tough. The irony is that this accident probably would hae still occurred even if the driver had held a Class F licence.

Scott
said

If he would of had the correct lic. he probably would of stopped for the stop sign! You people are ridiculas, maybe we should ban chickens while we are at it too! Why does everyone have to have someone to blame?

MM
said

This is a very sad story. I feel bad for all those involved and their families.
The thing I do not understand is why all the headlines are mentioning the fact that the people in the crash are migrant workers. Is this suppose to make the story more upsetting. Does it really matter what nationality these people are. I think the fact that 11 people died is horrific, stop all the bs about migrant workers. That bs doesn't matter or concern people. Stick to the real story.

Dave
said

John in Kanata ...
The article says that it was the driver of the passenger van who failed to yield to traffic. It doesn't nor has ever said at any point that it was the transport truck drivers fault. Unfortunately, he was in the wrong place at the wrong time.

May all those involved rest in peace and condolences to all families involved.

Montreal Cynic
said

So the accident was caused because he ran a stop sign.

The fact that the death toll is so high isn't the driver's fault.

It's the fact that these 15 passenger vans are all deathtraps.

Everytime we see a story like this it comes back to the van...

Gabriela - Vaughan
said

My condolences to these families, our thoughts and prayers are with them.

I hope, as a community, and country we can come together to provide these poor individuals with the support they need to overcome this ordeal.

As a tax payer and as a citizen of this country I am proud to be Canadian, because this country is founded on principles that provide all residences with liberty and necessities to life. I may be young, but I am proud of our health care system, sure it is billions of dollars invested, but it is in place for each member of this nation. In response to the comment made earlier, accidents due happen, and not everyone makes enough to cough up $25 000 worth of medical bills in the face of an accident, which is why we have a public system the provides all citizen access to free and equal health care. I am sure the employers of these migrant works will help with some funding, but as mentioned in the media, these migrant workers were also paying taxes and WSIB, therefore they shouldn�t be denied any rights, just because they�re not Canadian, they�re doing the work many Canadian refuse to do, and they are making a lot less than the average income.

With that said, as many Canadian and Hispanics out there, who wish to donate to the trust funds set up to assist the victims families, I truly hope these funds reach them.

Wilson
said

Ontario (or any province for that matter) highway traffic laws are laughable. As tradgic as this accident was, it does not excuse the fact that there are thousands of un-licenced or suspended drivers on the roads. These people endanger us all and when/if they are caught (usually because they have broken the traffic laws yet again), the fact that they shouldn't have even been on the road in the first place is almost ignored. The govt has a responsibility to keep legally licenced, lawful drivers safe on public roads. If you drive without a licence or with a suspended licence and you get caught, you should go to jail for a long, long time, you should not be able to legally purchase auto insurance, you should not be able to purchase an automobile, and you should not be allowed to register a vehicle of any type. This won't keep hardedned thugs from "finding a way", but it will at least solve the majority of the problem by preventing the stupidly lazy among us from doing "whatever they want" without any real consequence.

John Lethbridge
said

Valerie - so the TRUCK was going south on 107, and not required to stop. The VAN was going west, and impact appears to be on the passenger side so that makes sense. There is a house and trees right tight to the corner, and the van would have suddenly appeared from behind the trees/house. The truck driver probably never saw the van until it was right in front of him. I never knew you needed a Class F to drive a full size van, this must be pretty recent. It does make sense, for similar reasons a bus driver needs a class B licence. As far as the intersection goes, they will consider such measures as flashing beacon on larger stop signs, along with rumble strips on 47, especially if there have been similar accidents here. Rumble strips would be noisy for the adjacent residence. Fourway stop and reducing the speed limit to 60 kph is excessive.

Lynn
said

There is no doubt this is devastating and terrible- but why so little emphasis on the truck driver? He didn't even get included in the bullet point list of names... just a paragraph at the end. And yet he was properly licensed and appears to have been obeying the rules of the road.
I find it incredibly sad that he seems to be an overlooked victim in this. My heart goes out to his wife and family, and to the families of all the victims. But there were 13 victims, 11 of whom lost their lives.

Danielle
said

No matter who was at fault, or what the conditions were; the bottom line is that 11 families are without their loved ones and laying blame or citing faults will not change that!

Big A
said

to John in Kanata -- Read the article properly John. It states that the driver of the VAN not the truck was at fault by not braking at the STOP sign and then not yeilding to oncoming traffic. Seems clear to me that the truck driver was NOT at fault.

Prof. Pye Chartt
said

And there you have it. Basic human error. (The license-class issue is completely immaterial, as stopping at a stop sign is Driving 101, and yielding to right-of-way traffic is also Driving 101.) Now, would political officials kindly put their collectively head back on and cease pretending that this terrible "accident" involves the safety of commercial passenger vans and/or roadways similar to that found all over rural Ontario. Furthermore, would the lefties cease acting like "the plight of the migrant farm worker" is material to this tragedy. Thanks.

Rhonda
said

was the van traveling west? and if so with the location of the sun at that time of day maybe could have impaired the drivers vision to see the stop sign?

John Rush
said

Yes it was a terrible happening.
Lets focus on what an individual was doing driving a vehicle they were not licenced for.
Seems almost as if they were never asked to produce the appropriate licence to submit to the "owners" insurance and to be kept on file.
It will be interesting also to see who or what "entity" owns the multi passenger van.
In the end had the proper licence been required or checked first then maybe this accident wouldn't have happened though if you drive through a stop sign.... all bets are off.
The poor truck driver and his family left to pick up the pieces.

Valerie Moore
said

In regards to the horrific accident on Monday, what I am struggling with is this...if the van was travelling south bound and the truck west bound, why was the impact not on the drivers side of the van? It doesn't make sense. From the pictures shown so far, the impact seems to be on the passenger side.

URU
said

The company that hired the driver with the invalid license should be charged because they did not do a proper check. I would hope for any company's sack that they do proper checking before hiring someone or before firing someone. There is and will always be legal actions behind what the actions are from both sides.

Anne
said

And there we are. The van driver was not properly licensed. Totally inexcusable, and whoever owned that van and allowed an improperly licensed individual to drive it, should be charged to the full extent of the law. There is far too much shrugging and winking around rules in the farm industry. And 11 people are dead because of it.

John in Kanata
said

(Kuntze) A very good first-hand description of the conditions of this intersection. In addition to reducing the speed limit on Road 107 to 60 kph in this area, making this intersection a four-way stop is probably also required. I'm guessing that given the time of day, the driver of the van was probably also staring straight into the setting sun which probably also contributed to the accident, in addition to the other factors you mentioned.

Ed in Alberta
said

So let's all rush out and outlaw 15 passenger vans because obviously if there weren't any of these, there wouldn't have been an accident.

Give your heads a shake. You'll applaud the government for getting rid of the long gun registry because obviously "guns don't kill, people kill" but now you'll hue and cry to ban these vans which, in many cases, are the only form of mass transportation that some organisations can afford.

Sheesh.

Munro - Brampton
said

I am sure the investigator's thought of this but, they should see if there is a cell phone at the crash site. Maybe the driver was on the phone ? The cell phone would not have been from the workers.

Kuntze
said

As a resident of Hampstead I understand the driving conditions of Road 107. Particularly at the intersection of Road 107 and Line 47where this accident happened.The stop sign on Line 47 West it is a paved road with gravel spill which makes it very difficult to accelerate thru the intersection and delaying the anticipated safe proceeding time. Combined with the difficulties of site with the crest of the hill on the right and speed of oncoming traffic makes for a very unsafe enviroment. Some years ago a resident of Hampstead was hit by a transport truck just meters away from this horrific accident while he was crossing in his pick up truck over Road 107 farm to farm. He was air lifted to hospital and thankfully survived his accident. Our family makes left hand turns every day off Road 107 South onto Line 47 and are very aware of how much notice, when we signal, to give the traffic behind us. Then coming back, at the stop sign on Line 47 turning right, we MUST wait on VERY distant oncoming Road 107 North traffic for fear we catch gravel and cant accelerate at the nessessary speed needed to pull out safely.Because of the Mulit problem areas on Road 107 my suggestion to ensure a safe Road 107 is to reduce the speed to 60 KM zone from Line 43 right to the T intersection at Line 56 preventing future intense accidents like this one!

al
said

(very sad Ottawa) I agree that the three poeple care should be covered but by the business / Farmer that brought them here NOT the Canadian People that you indicate. i am so tired of every case becoming a special interest item. Yes its sad but accidents happen. As one of the tax payers bearing the billions of dollars to fund our health care.... well its time to get real about costs and balancing the decisions we all make to spend our own care into nothing left. Likely sound a bit "hard nosed...." to a bleeding heart however I'm a realist!

John in Kanata
said

It boggles my mind that we are subjected to varying viewpoints as to who was at fault. First we were told that it was the van driver, now we are told that likely the truck driver did not stop at the intersection. Go to Street View in Google Maps (yes, Google even made it to this "isolated" part of Ontario) and clearly (from the stop signs), the truck driver had the right of way and was NOT required to stop. What is also very clear is how far the blue house is from the intersection and how far the van was pushed by the truck. What a horrific accident! My heart aches for the families and friends of the victims.

Very Sad - Ottawa
said

This is very sad for these people who lost their lives in such a horrific vehicle accident. These workers come here and do jobs that our Canadians will not do for very little but the minimum wage and who knows probably less. Hopefully those who managed to survive and for those who died that the Canadian people do what is right to repatriate these poor souls. For those who survived the (3) that all Health Coverage be covered..nothing less should b e expected.

Ron
said

A thought on the horrific crash in SW Ontario.Asa truck professional driver,I must question the effects of a UK company(serco) giving Ontarios drivers their driving tests. bThis practise is not only a slap across the face to Canadians perhaps this event shows that we ne3ed to have Canadians who understand driving conditions in Canada doing our testing and NOT foreighn companies. Most in Ontario do NOT know that the drives examinations are in face foreign owned