Code orange declared at Prince George’s only hospital after a 30-person bus crash north of the city
People are being asked not to go to the emergency room at the University Hospital of Northern BC (UHNBC) in Prince George following a bus accident near Mackenzie, north of the city.
A joint statement from RCMP and Northern Health says about 30 people were on the charter bus when it crashed on a forest road at about 8:30 a.m. PT.
The statement initially reported no serious injuries. However, the Health Ministry later clarified that one person is considered critical. Two others were initially reported critical at the scene but were later assessed as less urgent, the ministry said.
Health Minister Adrian Dix tweeted that families can call the hospital at 1-250-565-2000 if they are concerned about loved ones who may have been involved in the crash.
Code Orange protocols have been activated at UHNBC Hospital in #PrinceGeorge & An @Northern_Health liaison bus has been deployed to the scene of the accident to assist on the scene. More updates will follow, but in the meantime, affected families can call 1. 250.565.2000 to locate their loved ones.
Speaking in Prince George on Friday, Prime Minister David Eby offered his condolences to those affected by the Prince George crash, as well as the deadly Manitoba bus accident that killed 15 people and sent another 10 to hospital on Thursday.
“It’s been a terrible 24 hours nationally for traffic accidents,” he said.
Bus with pipeline camp workers
A code orange is usually reserved for natural disasters and mass casualties and is implemented to allow staff to focus on triage and treatment. Additional employees and managers can also be deployed if necessary.
RCMP Cpl. Jennifer Cooper said the bus was carrying pipeline workers along the Firth Lake Forest Service Road between Prince George and Mackenzie when the crash occurred.
Coastal GasLink confirmed that the bus was carrying workers employed by one of the camp providers.
Seven ground ambulances, three emergency response units and several police officers are at the scene, with 17 taken to hospital.
Cooper says the cause of the crash is still unclear and efforts to reach the injured were hampered by heavy rain and difficult road conditions as the crash occurred on a forest road.
Residents asked to avoid the city’s only ER
Anyone without life-threatening injuries is urged not to go to UHNBC’s emergency room, the city’s only emergency room.
The hospital serves a population of approximately 90,000 and is the main regional hub hospital for northern BC
Northern Health says patients with non-urgent surgeries and other procedures can be contacted about reschedule appointments.
Those requiring care are asked to visit their GP, Prince George Urgent and Primary Care Clinic instead or use Northern Health’s telephone and virtual healthcare services.
Nurses and other staff at the hospital have expressed concern over a lack of staffing in recent months, saying UHNBC is at a “breaking point” and describing long emergency room wait times as patients queue to receive care.
Eby said the incident highlights the need for the county to take action to increase staffing and support for frontline workers and pointed to several ongoing initiatives to increase recruitment and training of both new and internationally trained nurses and physicians.
“We know there’s a lot of work to be done, and it’s moments like this that remind us how important it is.”
