Police have charged the driver of the semi-trailer involved in the tragic Humboldt Broncos crash with 29 criminal charges for alleged dangerous driving.
The crash happened on a clear, sunny day around 5 p.m. on April 6 near Armley, Saskatchewan. The Humboldt Broncos hockey team was dressed in suits and ties, all of them with dyed yellow hair, headed to their next game, when their bus, which had the right-of-way, collided with the semi-trailer that had failed to stop at a stop sign with a flashing light. According to eyewitnesses who spoke to media afterward, the crash tore the bus apart and turned the semi-trailer on its side, spilling bags of peat moss across the snowy ground.
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The crash killed 16 people and injured 13 — most of them young men in their teens and early 20s. Head coach Darcy Haugan, 42, assistant coach Marc Cross, 27, athletic therapist Dayna Brons, 24, radio announcer Tyler Bieber, 29, and bus driver Glen Doerksen also died in the crash.
At 10 a.m. Friday morning, police arrested Jaskirat Singh Sidhu, the driver of the semi-trailer that struck the bus. He was arrested without incident at his Calgary home, the RCMP told media during a press conference Friday afternoon.
He has been charged with 16 counts of dangerous operation of a motor vehicle causing death and 13 counts of dangerous operation of a motor vehicle causing bodily injury.
These are “serious criminal charges,” the RCMP told media. One count of dangerous driving causing death carries a prison sentence of up to 14 years, while a count of dangerous driving causing bodily harm, the penalty is up to 10 years in jail, police told media.
Police say they have evidence that the driver operated the semi-trailer in a way that was dangerous to the public, but would not expand on that evidence, saying the matter is before the court. Police said they conducted over 60 interviews, took more than 6,000 photos, analyzed the driver’s logbook, and used drones and 3D technology.
Driver impairment was one of the factors police looked at, but they have not laid any driver impairment charges in the matter.
Police met with the families of the victims Friday morning to update them on the case.
Sidhu will appear in Saskatchewan provincial court next week, but the details of his appearance haven’t been finalized yet.
When the investigation began in April, the RCMP said they were focusing on why the truck was in the intersection when it shouldn’t have been.
In response to the accident, truck drivers called attention to the industry’s lax driving tests, which they said are too easy to pass. Truck driver Kim Wylie from Humboldt said in a Facebook video that Saskatchewan should have a graduated licensing system. Saskatchewan insurance minister Joe Hargrave has said his government is working to fix what appears to be an easy driving test, and has committed to mandatory training of truck drivers. Currently Ontario is the only province with mandatory training of semi-trailer drivers, according to CBC.
The intersection itself has poor visibility. An area of dense trees would have hidden the semi-trailer from the bus driver’s view, and vice versa, until seconds before impact. The government of Saskatchewan has said it would hire a consulting firm to assess the intersection’s safety.
The crash hit the Humboldt community hard. Families had season tickets to Broncos games and would fill the rinks to cheer on the team. The rink was considered the heart of the community.
Cover image: Jonathan Hayward/The Canadian Press via AP
