Bus driver charged after crashing in Virginia carrying Quebec teen baseball teams

A coach bus carrying 53 baseball players and coaches from Quebec crashed on April 20, 2024. The driver has been charged with reckless driving. (Virginia State Police)

The driver of the bus that crashed in Virginia while carrying over 50 passengers, including high school baseball players from Quebec, has been charged.

Two passengers, including coach Yannick Powers, were injured when a coach bus crashed at 2:57 a.m. on Saturday, April 20. Powers required surgery for a knee injury and remains in hospital in Virginia. The other injury was not serious, according to coach Mathieu Adam.

Virginia State Police said 71-year-old driver Alain Guay has been charged with reckless driving.

"Preliminary investigations reveal that the driver ran off the roadway and struck several trees," police said in a news release.

The 54 occupants of the bus were high school students and coaches from the intensive sports programs Sport-Études at Marie-Rivier High School in Drummondville and Fadette High School in Saint-Hyacinthe. They were travelling to Florida for a baseball training camp.

The students returned to Quebec on Sunday, while some of the coaches remained in Virginia with Powers, who is expected to be released from the hospital within a week.

Baseball Quebec said on Monday that it has taken steps to support the players and coaches who were in the crash.

"We are extremely relieved to know that no one is in mortal danger and very proud of the way the situation has been managed by the program

management of the situation," said Baseball Quebec general manager Maxime Lamarche. "Their responsiveness and ability to reassure the athletes on site at such a critical time were remarkable."