Fifteen killed in Canadian junior hockey team bus crash

[rooster59]

Fifteen killed in Canadian junior hockey team bus crash

By Matt Smith

 

An emergency vehicle blocks the road to traffic the day after a bus carrying the Humboldt Broncos junior hockey team collided with a semi-trailer near Tisdale, Saskatchewan, Canada April 7, 2018. REUTERS/Matt Smith

 

HUMBOLDT, Saskatchewan (Reuters) - Fifteen people were killed when a bus carrying a Canadian junior hockey team collided with a truck in Saskatchewan province, police said on Saturday, in one of the worst disasters to strike Canada's sporting community.

 

The tragedy sent shock waves through the hockey-loving country and engulfed the home of the Humboldt Broncos ice hockey team, a small farming town of fewer than 6,000 people, in grief. Fourteen survivors were in hospital, with some in critical condition, the Royal Canadian Mounted Police (RCMP) said.

 

The team had been travelling to a playoff game when the accident occurred at about 5 p.m. on Friday near the Tisdale area, around 185 miles (300 km) north of Regina.

 

"Our Broncos family is in shock as we try to come to grips with our incredible loss," Kevin Garinger, the team's president, said in a statement.

 

The players had been on their way to compete in Game 5 of a playoff series against the Nipawin Hawks when the bus they were travelling in collided with a semi-trailer.

 

The Hawks' president, Darren Opp, told the Globe and Mail newspaper that the truck T-boned the players' bus. "It's a horrible accident, my God," he said. "It's very, very bad."

 

The driver of the tractor trailer was not injured in the crash, RCMP Saskatchewan assistant commissioner Curtis Zablocki told a media conference. He said the driver was initially detained, but later released.

 

RCMP is continuing its investigation and it was too early to comment on the cause of the collision, Zablocki added.

 

Citing relatives, the Canadian Press reported that the Broncos' head coach Darcy Haugan and the team's 20-year-old captain, Logan Schatz, were among those killed.

 

Many social media users posted Haugan's photograph alongside messages of shock and sympathy, and the hashtags #prayersforhumboldt and #humboldtstrong.

 

"God bless Darcy Haugan for being an incredible mentor and coach to young hockey players and prayers for his family to help cope with their immense loss," the Western Provinces Hockey Association wrote on Twitter.

 

National Hockey League Commissioner Gary Bettman said the NHL mourned the passing of those who died "and offers strength and comfort to those injured while travelling to play and be part of a game they loved."

 

'TERRIBLE TRAGEDY'

 

A steady stream of people arrived at Humboldt's Elgar Petersen sports arena on Saturday, consoling the grieving families and offering flowers. Counseling services for the victims' relatives were offered in a nearby room.

 

"We woke up to the reality of what happened last night," Humboldt Mayor Rob Muench told Reuters. "It has been a tragedy nobody would have imagined. It's very tough, but I have been trying to get the message out that we will get through this, we will see the light at the end of the tunnel."

 

Condolences poured in from current and former hockey players, sports organizations and political leaders.

 

"I cannot imagine what these parents are going through, and my heart goes out to everyone affected by this terrible tragedy, in the Humboldt community and beyond," Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau wrote in a tweet.

 

U.S. President Donald Trump said in a Twitter post that he had spoken with Trudeau "to pay my highest respect and condolences to the families of the terrible Humboldt Team tragedy. May God be with them all!"

 

Pastor Jordan Gadsby of Nipawin's Apostolic Church said hundreds of people, including parents and relatives of players on the bus, had gathered at the church late on Friday to seek information and solace.

 

"The worst part of the night was watching parents waiting for news of their kids," he said. "There's not a lot we can do. It's a terrible thing that happened."

 

For some, the tragedy revived painful memories of a bus crash in the province in December 1986 that killed four young players from the Swift Current Broncos ice hockey team.

 

An online fundraising campaign for the affected players and their families, with an initial target of $10,000, was set up late on Friday by the mother of a former Broncos teammate. By lunchtime on Saturday it had raised more than $1 million.

 

"Stay Hockey family strong," wrote one donor on the GoFundMe site who said he was a coach from rural Saskatchewan.

 

 

-- © Copyright Reuters 2018-04-08

[lannarebirth]

Very sad and tragic news. My condolences to our Canadian cousins.

[PETERTHEEATER]

Considering the western source this report is contradictory leading several times that the bus collided with the truck then reports that the tractor/trailer 'T-boned the bus. Considering that the police detained then released the truck driver was it the fault of the bus driver?

[Ninni]

R.I.P

[Aussieroaming]

Terrible community tragedy, RIP to the deceased. Fantastic to see how a community rallies though

[pegman]

23 hours ago, PETERTHEEATER said:

Considering the western source this report is contradictory leading several times that the bus collided with the truck then reports that the tractor/trailer 'T-boned the bus. Considering that the police detained then released the truck driver was it the fault of the bus driver?

The truck, with 2 trailers, was coming from the east and had a stop sign while the bus was headed north. I don't think the RCMP have not stated as yet whether the bus hit the truck or the other way around but clearly the bus had the right of way. Likely criminal charges are pending the completion of the investigation. Just north of the intersection there is a railway crossing. The bus may have been slowing down  to stop at the tracks and somehow the truck driver misinterpreted what was going on. 

I use to drive a 96,000lb crane all over that countryside and that's got to be the nightmare of all nightmares. A bus load of kids and no way of you stopping your rig in time. 

The country and worldwide hockey community are pretty shakenup  by this. There was a service at the Bronco's home arena in Humboldt tonight. It was covered in its entirety by the national news and sports channels. Devestating to a small town of 6,000.

[Beats56]

Just horrific the lost of these young lives. Saskatchewan is a really flat province hard to believe they didn't see each other. The fund raising is now up to 4 million last I heard.

My prayers go out to the family and friends. Can't imagine what they are going thru.

 

 

[pegman]

Charges have just been laid in this case. 

 

https://nationalpost.com/news/local-news/rcmp-make-arrest-in-connection-to-humboldt-broncos-bus-tragedy-that-rocked-saskatchewan-all-of-canada/wcm/00d47215-1a8f-4422-b6dc-0e7f9278e0d6?video_autoplay=true

[jerojero]

Charges have just been laid in this case. 
 
https://nationalpost.com/news/local-news/rcmp-make-arrest-in-connection-to-humboldt-broncos-bus-tragedy-that-rocked-saskatchewan-all-of-canada/wcm/00d47215-1a8f-4422-b6dc-0e7f9278e0d6?video_autoplay=true

About damn time. Was rather obvious the trucker ran the stop sign. Bloody idiot driver!

[pegman]

The GoFundMe for the players reached $15.2m before being capped.  It was the 2nd largest of the year after the legal fund for #MeToo. 

https://www.huffingtonpost.ca/2018/12/06/humboldt-broncos-gofundme_a_23611071/?utm_hp_ref=ca-homepage