The tragic story of the Canadian Pacific Railway 'Prairie Steel Gang' bus crash in 1980 is a stark reminder of the dangers of highway travel and the importance of safety measures. This incident, which claimed the lives of 22 young men and left eight others injured, is often overlooked in favor of the more widely known Humboldt Broncos bus crash in 2018. However, the 1980 crash stands as the deadliest highway disaster in Saskatchewan history and the third worst in Canada. The crash occurred on a rainy afternoon when a group of 93 men, known as the Canadian Pacific Railway 'Prairie Steel Gang', had just finished a grueling shift fixing the tracks near Webb. They boarded three leased school buses for the short trip back to their bunk cars, but the second bus never made it. A westbound car crossed into the path of the bus, and despite the bus driver's attempts to swerve, the collision occurred, sending the bus rolling. The situation quickly escalated into a fire and chaos, with hot oil pooling in the ditch and black smoke billowing a hundred meters into the sky. The aftermath was devastating, with a hockey rink in Swift Current turned into a temporary morgue, and the coroner relying on clothing, tattoos, wedding rings, and dental records to identify the victims. The misidentification of victims was a haunting aspect of the tragedy, with families left in the dark for weeks, only to discover their loved ones had been mistaken for others. The coroner's inquest revealed crucial insights, including the importance of seatbelts and harsher DUI penalties. The jury recommended that all school-type buses be equipped with seat belts or other restraining devices, a recommendation that was only partially heeded until 2018. The driver of the car was found to have been legally impaired, with a blood-alcohol level of .06 to .11, and the CPR foreman driving the bus had a blood-alcohol level of .04. The jury also called for stricter penalties for impaired driving and the twinning of the Trans-Canada Highway west of Swift Current to the Saskatchewan-Alberta border. The crash site near Webb has become a memorial, with a Canadian flag, a section of rail track, a welded steel cross, and a plaque naming the 30 men on the bus. Residents from Webb have maintained the monument, and a similar memorial was erected in Rushoon, Newfoundland and Labrador, in 2010. The story of the 1980 crash serves as a powerful reminder of the fragility of life and the importance of safety measures on our roads. It is a tale that should not be forgotten, as it highlights the need for continuous improvement in highway safety and the tragic consequences of negligence.
