196:. It was travelling down Côte des Éboulements, which had a steep hill with a sharp right turn at the base. The time was 1:45 pm, and the roads were dry and clear. The driver, André Desruisseaux, was unable to slow the bus to negotiate the curve, and the bus collided with the guardrail, smashed through it and plunged over 10 metres into a ravine.
237:. Also contributing to the crash was the driver's exhaustion: he had less than 5 hours of sleep the night before, and had been putting in over-50-hour work-weeks. On March 23, 1999, the coroner released his final report on the crash, maintaining his initial conclusions. He made several recommendations, but rebuilding the road was not among them.
203:. The crash and fall slammed the occupants violently around the interior of the vehicle, injuring most of them fatally. No skid marks were found on the road at the site of the crash, leading authorities to immediately suspect brake failure. Witnesses also reported the smell of burning brake fluid coming from the bus.
232:
and was headed by coroner Luc
Malouin, but the provincial government immediately announced plans to rebuild the road to improve safety by relocating it and eliminating the sharp curve. The cause of the crash was determined to be brake failure - the coroner determined that brakes only had 30 percent
245:
Litigation by environmental groups who contested the government decision not to hold consultations and studies regarding the environmental impact of the work resulted in a one-year delay before road work could begin. Work began on June 7, 1999. Because the coroner had made no recommendations
261:
There are plans to build a lookout which would include an official memorial near the location of the crash, providing a safe location for motorists who wish to visit the site. By 2009, the lookout was complete and in use. There is a memorial for the victims, and the lookout offers a view on
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There were 48 people aboard the bus, including the driver. Five survived the crash initially, however one of them succumbed to their injuries a month later. All the victims were senior citizens from the small village of
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and the slope has been reduced on the hill. All vehicles are required to stop before proceeding down the hill, and commercial vehicles are required to verify the correct operation of their brakes.
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of their braking capacity, and that André Mercier, owner of the bus company
Autobus Mercier, was not competent in managing his bus
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regarding the road, the government was criticized for spending public money in a wasteful manner.
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491:"Sherbrooke: Nouvelles locales régionales nationales du 15 octobre 2002 - La Toile de Sherbrooke"
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A similar crash had occurred in 1974 at the very same spot and had resulted in 14 deaths.
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600:"CÔTE DES ÉBOULEMENTS UNE NOUVELLE CÔTE DES ÉBOULEMENTS N'EST PAS LA SOLUTION"
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It landed, slid on its right side and came to rest beside an elevated
686:"Nouveau pas franchi pour le belvédère de la côte des Éboulements"
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http://www.ise.uqam.ca/enviro/archives/envoctnov99/v11n1a6.html
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564:"Log Cabin Chronicles Peter Black's Louis St. Laurent Column"
367:"Bus carrying senior citizens plunges into ravine, CJ Online"
165:. 44 died as a result of the crash, making it the deadliest
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trip, had travelled on Quebec
Highways 138 and 362 from
216:, except for the 29-year-old bus driver, who was from
341:"CBC:Witness tells bus inquiry of burning brakes"
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543:"CBC:Quebec coroner wants changes to bus safety"
440:"CBC: Inquiry takes a hard look at bus tragedy"
296:History Television: Disasters of the Century V
228:An inquiry into the crash was ordered by the
277:List of deadliest Canadian traffic accidents
683:
517:"Sleep Deprivation Epidemic Hurts Economy"
708:All links retrieved on November 3, 2006.
746:
466:"Radio-Canada.ca / R D I / ZONE LIBRE"
446:from the original on February 7, 2012
315:"Canadian Disaster Database Incident"
630:"Radio-Canada - Régions - Nouvelles"
347:from the original on January 6, 2010
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94:Brake failure, aggravated by driver
684:Radio-Canada.ca, Zone Nouvelles -.
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16:Disaster in Quebec, Canada in 1997
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254:The road is now separated with a
143:1997 Les Éboulements bus accident
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779:October 1997 events in Canada
262:l'Île-aux-Coudres shoulder.
22:Les Éboulements bus accident
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774:Accidental deaths in Quebec
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153:Day, October 13, 1997, in
39:October 13, 1997
730:47.4631139°N 70.3394694°W
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655:"Info - Radio-Canada.ca"
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157:(St-Joseph-de-la-Rive),
754:Bus incidents in Canada
735:47.4631139; -70.3394694
147:St. Joseph Bus Accident
272:List of road accidents
184:Club on an overnight
169:in Canadian history.
319:Public Safety Canada
230:Government of Quebec
145:, also known as the
769:Disasters in Quebec
759:1997 road incidents
726: /
690:www.radio-canada.ca
634:www.radio-canada.ca
470:www.radio-canada.ca
784:Capitale-Nationale
301:2011-07-06 at the
568:www.tomifobia.com
414:"milestonesoct13"
250:Road improvements
194:L'Île-aux-Coudres
167:traffic collision
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111:1 Transport Bus
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721:70°20′22.09″W
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388:"Millénaire"
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151:Thanksgiving
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733: /
241:Controversy
192:headed for
748:Categories
218:Sherbrooke
182:Golden Age
116:Passengers
103:Statistics
43:1997-10-13
86:Bus Crash
444:Archived
345:Archived
299:Archived
266:See also
75:Operator
51:Location
695:7 April
669:7 April
639:7 April
614:7 April
573:7 April
548:7 April
527:7 April
501:7 April
475:7 April
450:7 April
424:7 April
398:7 April
372:7 April
351:7 April
224:Inquiry
207:Victims
132:Injured
96:fatigue
65:Country
41: (
31:Details
163:Canada
159:Quebec
124:Deaths
69:Canada
59:Quebec
604:APIGQ
283:Notes
235:fleet
176:Crash
91:Cause
697:2018
671:2018
641:2018
616:2018
575:2018
550:2018
529:2018
503:2018
477:2018
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353:2018
327:2013
141:The
36:Date
108:Bus
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