American police authorities have opened an investigation after the accident of a bus transporting dozens of young Quebec baseball players traveling to Florida for a tournament this weekend. One of the group’s coaches was seriously injured, but all the students are safe.
“It’s really unfortunate what happened, but the good news is that the worst was avoided,” says the coach and administrator at Baseball Centre-du-Québec, Mathieu Audet, in an interview with The Press.
Departing Friday evening, the bus in question was transporting young people in sports studies from Fadette and Marie-Rivier secondary schools, located in Saint-Hyacinthe and Drummondville respectively. Around forty young people were on board at the time, with a few coaches and chaperones. They were supposed to play baseball for about a week in Florida as part of a sports-study program.
The accident occurred in Emporia, Greensville County, Virginia, about halfway along the bus’s route to Florida. According to our information, one of the hypotheses currently being studied by the local police is that the bus driver fell asleep. However, nothing has yet been confirmed at this stage, the investigation was still ongoing.
A coach who was at the front of the bus and who was thrown upon impact is said to have suffered serious injuries. However, these do not endanger his life. However, he will have to undergo knee surgery in the coming days.
As for the young people, they are all “safe and sound”, confirmed Mr. Audet. “It’s certain that it created a lot of stress, we’re talking about young people between the first and fifth secondary schools. That said, both the coaches and the older ones reassured the younger ones and communications with the parents were made. The situation was well managed,” pleaded the manager, highlighting in passing the “exemplary work” of the first responders from Emporia, Virginia.
Shortly after the incident, the decision to bring the young people home was made due to the obvious concerns of parents and school administrators.
Notified of the situation, the company Autobus Fleur de Lys sent two employees skilled in driving, with a new coach, to pick up the group. The latter left Virginia around 7:30 a.m. Sunday. He therefore had to return to Drummondville at the end of the day, Sunday, around 9 p.m.