[2] It was the deadliest transportation accident in New Brunswick since 1989, when a logging truck tipped onto a hayride in Cormier Village, killing 13.

The accident was followed by a national day of mourning in Canada, and a ban on all E350 Ford Club Wagon type vehicles being used for student transport in New Brunswick.

Two investigations, one by the Royal Canadian Mounted Police (RCMP) and the other by Transport Canada, found that the cause of the disaster was a combination of poor road conditions, lack of proper snow tires, and possible driver error.

Pressure from the public and victims' families prompted the chief coroner of the province to launch an inquiry, which produced recommendations to improve student transport safety in New Brunswick.

The accident occurred on New Brunswick Route 8 shortly after midnight on January 12, 2008, when the team coach was driving the Bathurst High School basketball team northward back from a game in Moncton against the Moncton High School Purple Knights in an E350 Ford Club Wagon.

As the van approached the Bathurst city limits, the coach lost control and veered in front of a southbound semi-trailer truck.

The truck collided with the side of the van and the two vehicles came to rest on the shoulder of the southbound lane of the highway approximately 40 metres (130 ft) from the point of impact.

The rear wall and a large portion of the right-hand side of the van, including three rows of seats, had been torn away, ejecting several occupants.

Mental health specialists and teachers from around the province teamed up to help provide support to students, families, and friends of the victims.

[12] Despite this, the Bathurst Phantoms' basketball team defeated the Campobello Vikings 82–50 to win the Provincial AA championship the following year.

The report stated that the van would not have passed a safety inspection at the time of the accident because of rust in its body, worn all-season tires, and faulty brakes.

The report also identified inadequate pre-trip inspections and log book keeping, and the lack of a contingency plan in the event of poor weather.

Greg Sypher, a collision analyst and principal Transport Canada investigator, later suggested that seat belts most likely would not have saved all the victims' lives.

[21][22] Ana Acevedo and Isabelle Hains, mothers of two of the deceased, went so far as to launch a website, vanangels.ca, which is dedicated to the memory of their sons and contains a blog related to the accident formerly included a petition to hold an inquest.

[23] On December 17, 2008, Greg Forestell, the province's acting chief coroner, called for an inquiry into the accident, stating that "[t]he inquest gives us the opportunity to pull all those facts together in a comprehensive manner and look at the issues in their entirety and have the jury make recommendations for prevention.

A permanent "Boys in Red" memorial for the victims of the van crash has been erected on an empty lot on King Avenue in the city's downtown area near the Bathurst High School.

Every year the school holds a memorial for those who died, with students and staff allowed to place a wreath and observe a moment of silence.

[33] On August 26, 2008, a government working group presented New Brunswick Education Minister Kelly Lamrock with eight recommendations for extracurricular transportation.

[38] The ideal solution of twinning the highway has not implemented to date, due to the 10s of millions of cost and low overall traffic volumes on this roadway.

Nurse-practitioner Amanda Smith Ngo, who supported mourners at the Boys' funeral, died December 2022 in a similar incident only miles away on the same highway.