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A Manitoba woman who died after a bus accident in the Dominican Republic on Sunday is being remembered as a “fearless” traveller who was passionate about exploring the world.
Global Affairs Canada confirmed in a statement that two Canadians were killed after a tourist bus crashed near Cumayasa, around 100 kilometres west of Punta Cana.
A WestJet spokesperson said customers of Sunwing Vacations — a WestJet subsidiary — were being transported from Punta Cana International Airport to their hotels at the time of Sunday’s crash.
Local media in the Dominican Republic have reported that two people died and 19 others were injured.
Brittany Fullerton told CBC News that RCMP officers confirmed her grandmother Colleen Fullerton, 67, of Lockport, Man., died in the accident.
The family received the official death notice on Monday, but Fullerton said local news outlets in the Dominican Republic had already published her grandmother’s name.
She said her grandmother was a “fearless” traveller, who had recently visited Scotland to learn more about her family heritage.
“My literal worst nightmare was this situation and I told her that every time, that I was worried for her. And she told me, ‘You can’t live your life in fear. You can’t let that dictate how you live your life, and things happen and you can’t be afraid of them,'” Fullerton said of Colleen.
“And she did just that,” she said, voice wavering. “And I respect her a lot for it.”
Fullerton said her grandfather John Fullerton, 70, was injured in the crash and was still recovering in the hospital. It’s unclear what condition he was in as of Tuesday night.
The couple left Winnipeg for a two-week vacation in the Dominican Republic on Sunday morning, just hours before the accident, Fullerton said.
She said the family has been speaking to her grandparents’ travel companions — who are still there — over the phone, trying to get more information about what happened. But they haven’t been able to speak to John.
It’s unclear if he knows about Colleen’s passing, she said.
“We haven’t talked to my grandpa. That’s the most frustrating thing about this. He’s lost his wife. His travel companions are injured as well. He’s in a foreign place. He’s experiencing grief and loss and we can’t even be with him,” Fullerton said.
“I’m very unsure of what he’s actually going through right now. He’s all alone.”
Foreign Affairs Minister Anita Anand shared her “deepest condolences to the families and loved ones of the two Canadian citizens who lost their lives in a tragic bus accident in the Dominican Republic” in a social media post on Tuesday.
Anand said Global Affairs Canada staff have been in contact with local authorities.
Fullerton said her grandparents were avid travellers, going on about two vacations annually in recent years.
“They wanted to see the world,” she said.
Fullerton said it could take several weeks before they are able to bring Colleen’s body home to Manitoba.
‘It’s so devastating for everybody’
Christine Earle, who spoke to CBC News from Santo Domingo, said she was supposed to be on the bus that crashed, but opted for a private transfer vehicle instead.
“When we heard about it, we found out that there were fatalities and major injuries from the people that were on the bus. We kind of looked at each other and thought, ‘Wow, there was a reason why we chose the private transfer.’ Something just told us to take the private transfer,” said Earle, who is from Oro-Medonte, Ont.
“I actually get chills thinking about it.”
Earle said cars quickly whipped by their transfer vehicle while driving to the resort, leaving little space between vehicles at some points. She also noticed a lack of guardrails along sides of the roads along the way.
She felt that road safety was “questionable” and said the small group she’s travelling with has decided to skip far-away excursions for activities within walking distance to avoid taking a bus.
“Our hearts go out to those that died,” Earle said.
“It’s so devastating for everybody.”
