A man is recuperating following an incident where a tour bus overturned on the Columbia Icefield. The Royal Canadian Mounted Police (RCMP) confirmed that the man was the sole individual involved in the accident, and there were no other passengers on the “small tour bus” operated by Pursuit at the time of the incident. The mishap took place at approximately 1 p.m. on Tuesday, about 120 kilometers south of Jasper, Alberta.
Pursuit, the company responsible for conducting tours on the road leading to the Athabasca Glacier at the icefield, stated that a team member was performing an operational maintenance check and was part of an incident on the glacier access road. The maintenance worker was alone in the vehicle and was subsequently taken to the hospital for evaluation. Currently, the individual is recovering at home, and no guests were present during the occurrence.
The investigation into the incident has been transferred to Alberta’s Occupational Health and Safety department. Stuart Back, Pursuit’s Canadian chief operating officer, emphasized their commitment to the safety and well-being of team members and guests. Pursuit has temporarily halted its tours until Thursday while the circumstances of the incident are being carefully reviewed by relevant authorities.
Notably, Pursuit has faced previous safety scrutiny regarding its operations on the Columbia Icefield in Alberta. In a 2020 crash, three individuals lost their lives, and 14 sustained serious injuries when an Ice Explorer experienced a loss of control and overturned due to what was later determined to be a “catastrophic braking issue” by a judge.