A complete failure of the braking system triggered by neglected mechanical repairs contributed to a deadly tour bus rollover in the Columbia Icefield, a fatality inquiry has concluded.
In a report made public late last week, Judge Vaughn Myers of the Alberta Court of Justice details a string of catastrophic oversights that preceded the rollover that killed three passengers and severely injured 14.
It was the afternoon of July 18, 2020, when a heavy-duty vehicle known as an Ice Explorer — carrying 24 tourists across the scenic expanse of the Athabasca Glacier in Jasper National Park — tumbled down a steep embankment, landing on its roof.
Dionne Durocher, 24, of North Battleford, Sask., Kamleshbhai Patel, 58, and Griva Patel, 28, of Edmonton, were ejected from the vehicle and died of their injuries within minutes.
In his findings, Myers calls on the tour company Pursuit — also known as Brewster — to make a series of safety improvements, concluding that warnings about the faltering safety of the vehicle went unheeded in the days and weeks before the crash.
The investigation determined the Ice Explorer had dangerously worn components, inadequate brake power and lacked routine maintenance.
Rapid speed, no braking force
Myers said the fatality inquiry, held in October 2025, sought to examine not only policy measures that could prevent similar tragedies but also “questions that were not clearly answered” by the RCMP and Occupational Health and Safety investigators, most critically any lapses in the maintenance of the vehicle.
Ice Explorers are large, wide-bodied, three-axle, off-road buses, also known as snow coaches, that have been used in the Columbia Icefield since the 1980s.
They’re purpose-built for icy terrain, with specialized brake systems that include a transmission lock-up to assist when the machine is on a descent — but only if the vehicle is in gear.
Court heard that, in the moments before the crash, the Ice Explorer was descending a steep slope known as the Lateral Moraine Road.
The vehicle was in neutral and, lacking engine-retarding force, accelerated to a speed between 41 to 49 km/h, far beyond its maximum powered speed of 14 km/h.
The driver applied the manual brakes, but due to severe mechanical defects, they failed.
The driver lost control and the bus rolled one and a half times down the slope, with passengers ejected into the rocky terrain below.
“There are two primary contributing factors,” Myers wrote. “The first is the driver, for reasons unknown, negotiating the lateral moraine in neutral and without the six-wheel drive engaged,” Myers wrote.
“This configuration, on such a grade, would create a situation in which vehicle speed accumulates rapidly. Unable to use engine power to slow the bus, the driver would have to rely on conventional braking.”
Pursuit’s policy at the time was for drivers to put the Ice Explorers in neutral at the top of the hill and then, at the start of the steepest descent, put them in gear.
In this case, the bus was never put into gear or it popped out of gear almost immediately, the judge found.
“This leads to the second primary contributing factor: effective braking force. During the mechanical inspection, it was determined that this vehicle did not have sufficient braking power to stop the vehicle, even in ideal situations.”
‘Worn, improperly inspected’
An inspection after the crash showed that only one of the six wheels had the power to safely brake as required.
Court heard that five days before the crash, a driver formally reported a major braking issue on a daily inspection report. He noted that full pedal depression was required to stop the rig and requested an inspection of the brake slack adjusters.
But the defect wasn’t inspected or repaired, nor was it carried forward on subsequent daily reports as the company required, the judge found.
Furthermore, on-site mechanics were new and inexperienced with Ice Explorers and also lacked proper training, the inquiry found.
“In short, the brakes suffered a catastrophic failure because they were worn, improperly inspected and concerns with respect to the brakes functioning were not attended to,” Myers wrote.
‘Inconceivable to the court’
Court also heard the Ice Explorer bus had been serviced two months earlier by Wajax, a company that offers repairs and maintenance for heavy-duty vehicles.
It was sent to Wajax for a scheduled 1,000-hour inspection, returning to service just 12 days before the fatal crash.
However, the judge noted serious issues with the Wajax inspection report, which was undated and did not reference a specific vehicle.
“The inspection report tendered indicated the brakes were satisfactory and passed inspection,” Myers wrote.
“It is inconceivable to the court that the tires were removed to properly inspect the faulty braking. Secondly, the court has serious concerns whether this inspection report actually applied to this vehicle.”
Myers said the lack of seatbelts and the route itself were contributing factors. Parts of Lateral Moraine Road reach an incline of 40 per cent, exceeding the maximum limit of 36 per cent specified by the Ice Explorer manufacturer.
The court determined that though medical response was prompt, no intervention could have saved the victims.
Myers called on Pursuit to improve its inspection protocols.
The company must ensure that external maintenance and inspection reports are dated and detail exactly what work is performed on which vehicle, and that a copy is kept inside for driver review.
The company should also work alongside OHS and the provincial government to immediately implement a training program for all mechanics working on its Ice Explorer fleet, Myers wrote.
The judge encouraged OHS and Alberta Transportation to establish a rigorous, standardized three-year service and inspection procedure for off-road tour vehicles and a new policy for defect reports.
RCMP didn’t lay criminal charges in the crash, but Pursuit pleaded guilty in 2023 to two charges under the Alberta Occupational Health and Safety Act and was fined $475,000.
In a statement to CBC News, officials with Pursuit said the operator has since made significant safety changes including enhanced driver training, seatbelts in all Ice Explorers, and updated processes for vehicle inspection, maintenance and defect reports.
“[We] will continue working with the appropriate authorities to ensure our practices meet the standard expected of us.
“Our thoughts remain with the families of Dionne Durocher, Griva Patel and Kamleshbhai Patel and with everyone affected by the July 2020 tragedy at the Columbia Icefield.”
