Driver who helped B.C. bus crash victims credits firefighter training

Rich Rogers, pictured second from left with his family, said his former firefighter training allowed him to help 20 people injured in a bus crash on Highway 39 near Mackenzie, B.C., on Wednesday, Nov. 4, 2026. (Corynn Rogers / Handout / The Canadian Press)

MACKENZIE, B.C. — A Mackenzie, B.C., resident who was the first to respond to a crash that injured 20 people after a shuttle bus ran off the highway says he is grateful he was in the wrong place at the right time.

Rich Rogers was driving down Highway 39 with his wife and 12-year-old son on Wednesday when they saw the bus flip on its side and veer off the highway about four kilometres south of Mackenzie.

The former firefighter, who works as a driver transporting mine workers, says his emergency training kicked in as he rushed to assess and triage the injured as his wife called emergency services.

Rogers says he found one person who had been ejected from the bus and did not appear to be breathing, while three others were unconscious aboard the vehicle, which was chartered by a contractor for a data centre company.

Rogers stayed to help clean up debris from the road, later catching a ride back into town with the local fire department.

He says he does not think of himself as a hero, and while the crash has brought up tough emotions, he hopes his efforts help the injured passengers have a chance to recover.

Northern Health issued an update on Thursday saying 15 of the 20 people assessed and treated in its facilities after the crash have since been discharged.

The accident, which happened in a remote part of northern B.C. about 1,000 kilometres north of Vancouver, triggered Code Orange mass-casualty declarations at two hospitals.

This report by The Canadian Press was first published Nov. 6, 2026.