1989 Cormier-Village hayride accident
| Date | October 8, 1989 |
|---|---|
| Time | afternoon |
| Location | New Brunswick Route 945 in Cormier-Village, New Brunswick |
| Coordinates | 46°10′19″N 64°21′07″W / 46.1719°N 64.3519°W |
| Deaths | 13 |
| Non-fatal injuries | 45 |
The Cormier-Village hayride accident occurred in the Canadian rural community of Cormier-Village, New Brunswick, 10 km (6.2 mi) west of Cap-Pelé and 22 km (14 mi) east of Shediac.
Accident
[edit]On the afternoon of Sunday, October 8, 1989, the members of the McGraw and Léger families were participating in a hayride, travelling in a wagon pulled by a farm tractor, as well as two following pickup trucks, along the shoulder of Route 945.[1] They were approximately 100 m (330 ft) from the end of the ride at a community hall in Cormier-Village where they had planned a family reunion as part of their celebration of Thanksgiving Weekend.
The driver of a tractor trailer (logging truck) hauling a 6-tonne load of hardwood logs cut into 20 ft (6.1 m) lengths lost control as he passed, resulting in the entire load of logs tipping onto the tractor/wagon and pickup trucks.[2] 13 people were killed and 45 injured[3] with many victims pinned and crushed; five children were among those who died.[4]
Emergency responders from the RCMP in Shediac, volunteer fire fighters from Cap-Pelé and numerous ambulance paramedics from across Westmorland County responded. Victims were transported to tertiary care hospitals in Moncton, approximately 45 km (28 mi) away.
Response
[edit]The horror of this accident, both for survivors and emergency responders, resulted in the Government of New Brunswick forming a provincial Critical Incident Stress Management Team.[3][5]
References
[edit]- ^ "Tragedy on Canada Hayride: 12 Killed". Los Angeles Times. 1989-10-09. Retrieved 2019-10-13.
- ^ "Families mark anniversary of fatal N.B. hayride". CBC. October 8, 2009. Retrieved October 13, 2019.
- ^ a b Huras, Adam (2009-10-08). "Cormier Village tragedy leaves a legacy". Telegraph-Journal. Archived from the original on October 11, 2009. Retrieved 2019-10-19.
- ^ "Mounties investigate truck-hayride collision". UPI. Retrieved 2019-10-13.
- ^ Mureika, Juanita (1997). "CISM NB Style". The Newsletter of the Canadian Traumatic Stress Network. 6. Archived from the original on 2008-03-23.
- Hay Wagon - Truck Collision Kills 12 (Associated Press) 9 October 1989