Local news delivered daily to your email inbox. Subscribe for FREE to the rdnewsNOW newsletter.

UPDATE: Impaired driving charges laid in Red Deer school bus crash

Jun 5, 2017 | 10:45 PM

A Red Deer woman faces charges of impaired and dangerous driving after the school bus she was operating struck a tree Monday afternoon in the Vanier Woods neighbourhood.

Red Deer RCMP say a witness who observed the collision called 911 after the bus collided with a tree and a sign, then continued to drive for a short distance through Vanier Woods before stopping.

RCMP attended the scene of the collision on Valley Green at 4 p.m. along with Red Deer Emergency Services and fire staff. No one was injured in the collision.

The school bus was carrying 18 students from École Barrie Wilson School between the ages of 5 and 12 years old when the crash happened.

Following a police investigation, the driver of the bus, 42-year-old Shelly Joy Kolodychuk, has been charged with:

– Impaired operation of motor vehicle
– Operate motor vehicle over 80mg
– Dangerous operation of motor vehicle
– Fail to remain at scene of collision

Kolodychuk, who also is a regular driver for students at Mattie McCullough Elementary, is scheduled to appear in court in Red Deer on July 12.

“We are deeply concerned and shocked by this incident. Adults who serve our students carry a significant responsibility for their safety and care,” said Stu Henry, RDPSD Superintendent of Schools said in a statement. “It is devastating when an adult betrays the trust we have with our students and parents.”

Board Chair Bev Manning commented, “It’s unthinkable that any adult would knowingly put kids in harms way. We are thankful for the RCMP and Emergency Services in dealing with the situation and keeping things safe for our students.”

The bus involved in the crash was operated by Prairie Bus Lines, who are contracted to provide student transportation services for Red Deer Public Schools.

In a statement, Prairie Bus Lines says they have taken the appropriate action to ensure the company’s Safely Home commitment is upheld.

“Prairie Bus Lines has a zero tolerance drug and alcohol policy in place. This includes a process for testing when there is reasonable suspicion that an employee is under the influence of drugs or alcohol. In this case, there were no visible signs of impairment prior to the driver’s afternoon departure,” a release says. “Student safety is paramount to our organization. We are grateful nobody was injured and that a rescue driver was able to take the children home safely in a timely manner.”

The school district says it will “continue to monitor the situation and take every precaution to assure parents and students that this is an unfortunate and isolated incident.”