Gus Wetter School's principal and his daughter are recovering in Calgary from serious injuries after a serious collision near Halkirk on Wednesday, Jan. 6.
Shortly before 8 a.m., a dark-blue truck collided with the back of a turning flatbed trailer at the intersection of Range Road 163 and Highway 12. The trailer was being towed by a tractor. According to Coronation RCMP Constable Dustin MacIntyre, it's believed that fog, which was "moving" around the area around the time of the collision, may be a factor in the collision.
The driver of the dark-blue truck was later revealed to be Daram Van Oers, principal at Gus Wetter School in Castor, who was on the way to school with his daughter Lenae. Coronation RCMP did not release the names of the injured parties, but a letter sent to Clearview School Board staff by board superintendent Peter Barron later that day confirmed the Van Oers' identities.
The Van Oers family released a statement on Thursday, Jan. 7 through the Coronation RCMP stating that Daram and Lenae are "responding positively to treatment," and requested privacy as the family deals with the tragedy.
"People are saddened and shocked," Barron said in an interview on Jan. 7. "This came as a big surprise. We have a psychologist available to staff and students at Gus Wetter if the need is there."
Wendy Coppock will be stepping in to Daram Van Oers' shoes until he is able to return to work, though Barron said there's no indication at this time how long that will be — except it will likely be a long time.
"They are in for a bit of a journey ahead of them," Barron said. "Our expectation is for them to recover and return when ready, but we can't begin to guess when that will be."
Barron said Daram Van Oers is very popular in the community, and support has been flooding both the school and school board since word went out that Daram and Lenae Van Oers were in the collision. Van Oers' wife is also a teacher at Gus Wetter, and the couple's other two daughters also attend the public school.
MacIntyre said the quick response by the Halkirk Fire Department, who had arrived and extracted the Van Oers' from the vehicle before supporting assistance from the Castor Fire Department had arrived, will likely play a role in the recovery of the two injured individuals. Daram Van Oers was taken by STARS air ambulance to a hospital in Calgary, while daughter Lenae was taken first to Stettler Hospital and then transferred to Calgary.
The driver of the tractor was not injured, but the severity of the collision resulted in Highway 12 being closed for an hour while a reconstruction team collected evidence in order to piece together what happened. Everyone involved was wearing their seatbelts.
Anyone with information about the collision is asked to contact the Coronation RCMP at 403-578-3666 or Crime Stoppers at 1-800-222-TIPS (8477).
Ice safety on the mind of RCMP, Fish and Wildlife
The winter weather so far has been ideal for ice formation on the area's lakes, with cold days and nights and little snow. Even though it's likely most areas have sufficient ice for the heaviest of recreational uses, the RCMP is cautioning winter lake fun-lovers to be cautious when heading out.
"It's important to remain aware of the conditions," RCMP Cpl. Cameron Russell said. At least four inches of ice is necessary to bear the weight of an average adult, and anything less than two inches is begging for trouble.
A snowmobile or ATV requires at least five inches of ice, while a car or small pick-up truck needs 8-12 inches. A full size pick-up truck will need 12-15 inches. Areas where water is moving will freeze less quickly and have thinner ice than areas where water is still, so the RCMP advise extra caution around rivers, creeks and other flowing areas.
Russell said that Buffalo Lake is being "heavily used" by winter recreationists, and the last thing he or any of his colleagues want to do is have to go out there to rescue someone.
"Make sure you're prepared for the cold weather," Russell added, explaining that the temperatures can be dangerous if people find themselves stranded due to mechanical failure or other unfortunate circumstances. "Dress warmly, have blankets and other gear at hand for those situations."
Both the RCMP and staff from Alberta Fish and Wildlife will be patrolling area lakes over the winter, checking for licences and safety. For those out fishing at ice huts, Russell had one warning: It's not a residence.
"What that means is that if you have alcohol, you basically have alcohol in public," he explained, noting that offence comes with some stiff fines.
Suspicious vehicle not so suspicious
The RCMP have issued a statement revealing that the white pick-up truck, seen frequenting businesses in the early morning hours of Dec. 31, 2015 and Jan. 1-2, 2016 in fact had legitimate business in the area. According to Cpl. Cameron Russell with the RCMP, information was provided to the detachment investigators that proved without any doubt that the individual behind the wheel was not engaged in any illicit behaviour.
Russell thanked the community for their involvement.