10 people injured, 1 still in hospital after semi and bus collision in Kerrobert, Sask.

All but one of the people injured ina serious collision between a tractor-trailer and a bus in Kerrobert, Sask., on Friday have been released from hospital, according to the company that employs the oilfield workers who were on the bus.

Six people aboard the bus were originally sent to hospitalfor treatment after the collision at a four-way intersection, according to a SaturdayRCMPpress release. Four others were treated at the scene.

Three were taken by STARS air ambulance to Royal University Hospital in Saskatoon, 170 kilometres northeast of the town of Kerrobert.

Paul Stuckless, corporate safety manager for OJ Pipelines, said that one worker was seriously injured and remains under care, but the rest had since been released.

None of the injuries were considered life-threatening, according to RCMP.

"Obviously we worry about our workers at all times, which is why we have emergency response plans in place," Stuckless said.

Bus on its side in north ditch

OJ Pipeline's bus driver was transporting 15 pipeline contractors working on Enbridge's Line 3 project, who were heading back towardKindersley, 50 kilometres south of Kerrobert, at the end of the day, according to Stuckless.

The converted school bus taking the workers was heading southeast on Highway 31 at about 4:26 p.m. CT when the collision occurred at the northwest end of town limits with a semi hauling two trailers of canola eastbound on Highway 51/21.

Traffic going east or west on Highway 51/21 has a stop sign at the intersection. There are no stop signs for traffic travelling southeast or northwest on Highway 31.

Our bus was on its side, a bit of an eye-opener for anybody coming out there.- Paul Stuckless, OJ Pipelines

The school bus turned over as it landed in the north ditch, while the semi came to stop near the centreof Highway 31, in the intersection facing north, according to RCMP.

The man driving the semi was not injured, RCMP said.

The company was called about the collision shortly after it took place. OJ Pipelines deployed its own medical response team, including paramedics, to help local emergency crews,Stucklesssaid.

"It didn't look great," he said of the scene, recalling the number of emergency vehicles at the site. "Our bus was on its side, a bit of an eye-opener for anybody coming out there.

"It didn't look good to me."

However, he noted the emergency response and response of volunteer fire crews was "incredible."

Stuckless has since spoken to the woman who was driving the bus, and said she has been treated and was released from hospital on Friday itself, and is doing well physically.

He said the company has also spoken to all of its crews to ensure everyone is capable of going back to work, and is giving people the option to stay home if needed. Crisis management teams were also available to employees Saturday morning, he said.

RCMPinvestigating cause

AnRCMPcollision reconstructionist attended the scene and the roads were closed until about 5a.m. CST on Saturday, while an investigation took place.

RCMPsaid at this point, alcohol is not believed to be factor in the collision,but the cause and the sequence of events that lead up to it are still under investigation.

STARS spokesperson Deborah Tetley said an air ambulance arrived at the scene at 5:42 p.m., at which point EMS had already arrived on scene and triaged patients.

STARS air ambulance arrives at the collision scene on Friday:

Two people had been taken to Kerrobert hospital already but were in need of a higher level of trauma care, and were brought back to the scene to be taken by air to Royal University Hospital, she said.

"They were stable when we transported them," said Tetley, adding both were men one in his 30s and one in his mid-40s.

STARS ended up receiving another call for service at 7:25 p.m. CST, with another man in his 40swho suffered apossible head injury in the crash.

He'd originally been taken to hospital in Kerrobert, but Tetley said STARS ended up calling its night crew in early, and asecond helicopter was dispatched to take the man to Royal University Hospital.

His condition was also stable at the time of transport, she said.

Collisions have happened before at site

Kerrobert Mayor Wayne Mock said there have been collisions at the intersection before, although to his knowledge, there's never been a fatality at the site.

With Enbridge working on its pipeline project in the areaand grain trucks hauling, there has been an increase in traffic along the highways, he said.

"We got to look at something," Mock said, even as he noted he was unsure what more the town council could do to prevent collisions at the site. There are currentlyrumble strips leading up to the stop sign.

"It's frustrating."

Months after Humboldt tragedy

The incident marked the second major collision in Saskatchewan involving a bus and a semi within the past six months.

A semi hauling peat moss and a team bus transporting the Humboldt Broncos hockey team collided on April 6 at a rural intersection.

Sixteen people aboard the bus were killed in the collision, while otherswere left with serious injuries.

Thedriver of thesemi-trailer in that crash wascharged with 16 counts of dangerous operation of a motor vehicle causing death and 13 counts of dangerous operation of a motor vehicle causing bodily injury.