The driver of a Greyhound bus that was involved in a fatal four-vehicle crash south of Kersley in April 2017 was in Quesnel Provincial Court today (June 12) for his first appearance.
Criminal charges were laid March 28, 2018, on Colin Lucas Dunlop, a Prince George resident. Dunlop faces one count of driving a motor vehicle without due care and attention for the April 21, 2017 incident.
In his appearance today, Dunlop was given a new court date, as requested by the defense, of July 10, 2018. The July 10 appearance is scheduled to be an arraignment, during which the charges will be formally read. Dunlop is expected to enter a plea of either guilty or non-guilty at this appearance.
The fatal April 21 crash involved a Greyhound bus, which Dunlop was driving, a car, a pick-up truck and a tractor pulling farm equipment.
All four vehicles were travelling north.
The North District RCMP reported at the time that one person was killed and seven injured in the crash.
Michael Bailey was the tractor driver who died as a result of the crash.
The Coroner’s Service confirmed its investigation into the death of a male in his late 50s from Quesnel is still open in relation to the incident.
Bailey’s wife Katina London was driving in the pick-up truck behind him for safety reasons, says a GoFundMe page set up to help the family, and she was knocked unconscious in the crash. She later recovered in hospital.
In addition to Dunlop’s criminal charge, he and Greyhound Canada have been named in four civil lawsuits in relation to the crash.
Katina London has filed a civil lawsuit, after sustaining injuries including severe traumatic brain injury and loss of mobility, according to the claim filed last month. London is also named as one of four plaintiffs in an additional civil claim against Dunlop and Greyhound Canada, along with her three children. This lawsuit claims the family has suffered various losses due to the death of Michael Bailey.
One of the passengers of the car that was involved, a man from Idaho, also suffered serious injuries, according to a claim he filed against Dunlop and Greyhound, including traumatic brain injury and spinal injuries.
Dunlop and Greyhound have not yet filed a response to the notice of these three civil claims, and none of the allegations have yet been proved in court.
The fourth civil claim was filed by a Vernon woman who claims to have suffered mild brain injury, back, hip and shoulder injuries, as well as other physical and emotional injuries.
The defendants Dunlop and Greyhound are denying this claim.
