At 3:37 pm on September 14th Carlyle RCMP were dispatched to a driving complaint. Police were advised that a school bus travelling from Arcola to the Pheasant Rump First Nation, with numerous youth occupants had to take evasive action to avoid a collision on Highway #13 west of Arcola. Carlyle RCMP’s investigation revealed that a male driving eastbound had fallen asleep, forcing the school bus to take the ditch to avoid the collision.
The suspect driver attended immediately to Carlyle Detachment and provided police with a statement into the events. That driver was charged under the Traffic Safety Act.
Carlyle RCMP would like to recognize the driver of the school bus, as his attention and quick thinking likely saved numerous lives that day. Blaize Maygard, the driver of the school bus, was paying close attention as a user of the roadway and was able to avoid the collision by his safe driving habits.
MAYGARD was able to steer the bus into the ditch in a manner that assured the safety of all of his occupants. He gradually entered the ditch and kept the bus upright. He off-loaded the children and backed the bus out of the ditch and then reloaded the bus with his important cargo. There were no serious injuries thankfully, other than a few minor bumps and bruises.
Due to Blaize Maygard’s attention to the roadway and his defensive driving tactics, a sure tragedy was averted by his actions and his actions alone. We, as the RCMP, would like to commend Maygard for his actions in making sure his precious cargo made it home that day!! As a show of our appreciation, MAYGARD was presented with a framed picture from the RCMP Aboriginal Policing Unit.
