Bus driver dies from injuries in Highway 63 crash

The driver of the Red Arrow bus that collided with a tanker truck on Highway 63 in northern Alberta last month has died of his injuries.

The man, who had been with the company for 34 years, passed away on Dec. 27 after being in intensive care since the crash, Red Arrow officials said Monday.His family has requested his name be withheld.

The driver suffered the most serious injuries in the accident on Dec. 12 that sent 11 other people to hospital.

Highway 63, which has seen increased traffic between Edmonton and Fort McMurray because of oilsands development, has been the scene of several crashes in the past few years.

On Thursday, a taxi driver died in a two-vehicle crash near Fort Mackay. On Dec. 19, a Jasper man was killed when his pickup truck was involved in a collision with another truck.

The province began twinning about 16 kilometres of the highway earlier this year, but the fatalities have Alberta's bus and truck drivers calling for the work to be speeded up.