’Everybody’s going to feel it:’ Broncos families prepare for sentencing hearing
Canadian Press
Published:
January 27, 2019
Updated:
January 27, 2019 5:17 PM EST
Jaskirat Singh Sidhu leaves provincial court with his lawyer Mark Brayford (centre right) in Melfort, Sask., Tuesday, January, 8, 2019. Sidhu, the driver of a transport truck involved in a deadly crash with the Humboldt Broncos junior hockey team's bus, has pleaded guilty to all charges against him.Kayle Neis / CP
The hardest thing Chris Joseph ever had to do was get through the first 48 hours after his son died in the Humboldt Broncos bus crash.
The second hardest, he says, happens this week when he and his wife attend a sentencing hearing for the truck driver who caused the Saskatchewan crash last year that killed 16 people and injured 13 others on the junior hockey team’s bus.
“I think this will be harder than the funeral,” said Joseph, a former NHL player who lives in St. Albert, Alta.
“I think everybody’s going to feel it.”
Joseph plans to stand in court and read his victim impact statement, full of stories about his 20-year-old son Jaxon. He wants the truck driver, Jaskirat Singh Sidhu of Calgary, to hear what he took away from the world.
“(Jaxon) was more than just a hockey player on a bus. He was a person that had a lot of love for his family and had a lot of goals and dreams.”
His family is submitting about a dozen statements at the hearing which, with 29 victims, could see a few hundred statements entered as exhibits. A makeshift courtroom has been set up in a community event centre in Melfort, Sask., to accommodate all the families, the survivors and the media.
Some of the Humboldt players had been changing into suits and others were texting girlfriends as the team’s bus headed to Nipawin, Sask., for a playoff game on April 6. The bus and truck, which was carrying a load of peat moss, collided at a rural intersection.
Motorists who stopped to help, as well as some parents who were on their way to the game, came across the carnage.
News of the crash made headlines around the world and hockey-loving Canadians responded with an outpouring of support. They pulled on sports jerseys, left hockey sticks on porches and donated millions of dollars.
Sidhu pleaded guilty earlier this month to 16 counts of dangerous driving causing death, which carries a maximum sentence of 14 years each, as well as 13 counts of dangerous driving causing bodily harm, which carries a maximum 10 years.
The wreckage of a fatal bus crash carrying members of the Humboldt Broncos hockey team is shown outside of Tisdale, Sask., on April, 7, 2018. Jonathan Hayward / THE CANADIAN PRESS
Lawyer Mark Brayford said after the guilty plea that Sidhu, 30, wanted to take responsibility to avoid a trial and more hurt for the families.
Joseph said he wants the Crown to ask for the highest sentence possible, although he also believes the trucker isn’t totally at fault. “He might be a bit of a victim in this whole thing too, because he never should have been behind the wheel.”
The facts have yet to be submitted in court, but a lawsuit filed by the family of another player killed in the crash alleges any training Sidhu had was inadequate.
The owner of the Calgary trucking company that hired Sidhu also faces eight charges that relate to non-compliance with federal and provincial safety regulations in the months before the crash. He has yet to go to trial.
Toby Boulet of Lethbridge, Alta., will set eyes on Sidhu for the first time since he saw him at the crash that killed Boulet’s 21-year-old son Logan. Boulet remembers Sidhu was agitated and talking to someone in uniform.
Boulet is also delivering a victim impact statement, but he said the most important thing for him will be to learn what happened. All that’s now known is that the semi was on a secondary road with a stop sign. The bus had the right of way. RCMP have only said publicly that the truck was in the intersection when the collision occurred.
“I want to know what he did or didn’t do,” said Boulet, who added that it doesn’t matter to him what sentence Sidhu gets.
“I’d like to see him serve more than a day in jail, but ultimately he did not get up that morning … and say, ‘I’m going to run into a bus and have a crash and kill 16 people and injure 13 for life.”‘
Ryan Straschnitzki, 19, of Airdrie, Alta., is one of two players paralyzed in the crash. He has been busy with rehabilitation, didn’t want to write a victim impact statement and says he and his parents aren’t going to the hearing.
“That’s none of our business anymore. It’s the judge, it’s the police, and I don’t really see any point in going,” he said.
“It’s in the past and I’m here now and I’m lucky.”
His mother, Michelle Straschnitzki, said it’s been devastating watching her son have to lift his own legs. And she can’t forgive the truck driver, even though she’s sure his own family is also suffering.
“You destroyed 30 families that day. We’re all going to be living with this for the rest of our lives.”
— With files from Bill Graveland in Airdrie, Alta.
A list of those killed and injured in the Humboldt Broncos bus crash
A sentencing hearing is to begin Monday for the driver of a transport truck involved in a deadly crash with the Humboldt Broncos hockey team bus. Jaskirat Singh Sidhu has pleaded guilty to dangerous driving causing death and dangerous driving causing bodily harm for killing 16 people and injuring 13 others on the Broncos bus last April.
Here are those who died in the crash:
Logan Alexander Boulet: A 21-year-old defenceman from Lethbridge, Alta.
Adam Scott Herold: A 16-year-old defenceman from Montmartre, Sask.
Logan William Hunter: An 18-year-old forward from St. Albert, Alta.
Jaxon Christopher Joseph: A 20-year-old forward from St. Albert, Alta.
Jacob Paul Benjamin Leicht: A 19-year-old forward from Humboldt, Sask.
Conner Jamie Lukan: A 21-year-old forward from Slave Lake, Alta.
Logan Evan Schatz: A 20-year-old forward from Allan, Sask.
Evan Thomas: An 18-year-old forward from Saskatoon, Sask.
Parker Allen Tobin: An 18-year-old goalie from Stony Plain, Alta.
Stephen Wack: A 21-year-old defenceman from St. Albert, Alta.
Tyler Anthony Bieber: A 29-year-old play-by-play announcer from Humboldt, Sask.
Dayna Brons: A 24-year-old athletic therapist from Lake Lenore, Sask.
Mark Travis Cross: A 27-year-old assistant coach from Strasbourg, Sask.
Glen Doerksen: A 59-year-old bus driver from Carrot River, Sask.
Darcy Haugan: The team’s 42-year-old head coach from Humboldt, Sask.
Brody Joseph Hinz: The team’s 18-year-old statistician from Humboldt, Sask.
Here are the 13 players who were injured:
Graysen Cameron: The 19-year-old forward from Olds, Alta., can’t play hockey again after suffering back injuries in the crash. He has become an assistant coach for the Red Deer Optimist Chiefs, a top-tier, triple-A hockey team in the Alberta Midget Hockey League.
Brayden Camrud: The 21-year-old forward from Saskatoon overcame a severe concussion, loss of feeling in one of his arms and neck issues. He has returned to play with the Broncos this season.
Kaleb Dahlgren: The 21-year-old forward from Saskatoon suffered a fractured skull, a puncture wound in his head, a brain injury and six broken vertebrae in his back and neck. He has committed to play for the Lions hockey team at York University in Toronto.
Bryce Fiske: The 21-year-old defenceman from La Ronge, Sask., is studying commerce and playing hockey for the Ridgebacks at the University of Ontario Institute of Technology.
Morgan Gobeil: The 19-year-old defenceman from Humboldt, Sask., suffered a brain injury in the crash. His family said in a statement in September that he is recovering but would still be in hospital for a few more months.
Matthieu Gomercic: The 21-year-old forward from Winnipeg had minor injuries from the crash and has also joined the Ridgebacks at the University of Ontario Institute of Technology. He is studying kinesiology.
Xavier LaBelle: The 19-year-old defenceman from Saskatoon suffered a fractured skull, a concussion, internal bleeding and 20 broken bones in the crash. He has joined the Saskatoon Blades, his hometown Western Hockey League team, as an assistant to the coaches.
Layne Matechuk: The 18-year-old defenceman from Colonsay, Sask., suffered a brain injury in the crash. He was in a coma for a month and had to learn to walk again, but has since left the hospital. His family says he is on the road to recovery.
Derek Patter: The 20-year-old forward from Edmonton has returned to play with the Broncos this season.
Nick Shumlanski: The 21-year-old forward from Tisdale, Sask., walked away from the crash with minor injuries and is playing hockey for the University of Prince Edward Island Panthers in Charlottetown, P.E.I.
Tyler Smith: The 20-year-old forward from Leduc, Alta., had a broken collarbone, a broken shoulder blade and nerve damage down his left arm. He returned to play with the Broncos for about a month in the fall, but has since decided to step away from the team so he can continue his recovery at home.
Ryan Straschnitzki: The 19-year-old defenceman from Airdrie, Alta., was paralyzed from the chest down in the crash and continues his recovery with his family. Straschnitzki played in an exhibition sledge hockey charity game in Calgary in September and is hoping to eventually represent Canada at the Winter Olympics.
Jacob Wassermann: The 19-year-old goalie from Humboldt, Sask. was paralyzed from the naval down. His dad said in November that he has started to have movement in his hips and his glute. He has also turned to sledge hockey to keep his on-ice dream alive.
http://torontosun.com/news/national...oncos-families-prepare-for-sentencing-hearing
Canadian Press
Published:
January 27, 2019
Updated:
January 27, 2019 5:17 PM EST
Jaskirat Singh Sidhu leaves provincial court with his lawyer Mark Brayford (centre right) in Melfort, Sask., Tuesday, January, 8, 2019. Sidhu, the driver of a transport truck involved in a deadly crash with the Humboldt Broncos junior hockey team's bus, has pleaded guilty to all charges against him.Kayle Neis / CP
The hardest thing Chris Joseph ever had to do was get through the first 48 hours after his son died in the Humboldt Broncos bus crash.
The second hardest, he says, happens this week when he and his wife attend a sentencing hearing for the truck driver who caused the Saskatchewan crash last year that killed 16 people and injured 13 others on the junior hockey team’s bus.
“I think this will be harder than the funeral,” said Joseph, a former NHL player who lives in St. Albert, Alta.
“I think everybody’s going to feel it.”
Joseph plans to stand in court and read his victim impact statement, full of stories about his 20-year-old son Jaxon. He wants the truck driver, Jaskirat Singh Sidhu of Calgary, to hear what he took away from the world.
“(Jaxon) was more than just a hockey player on a bus. He was a person that had a lot of love for his family and had a lot of goals and dreams.”
His family is submitting about a dozen statements at the hearing which, with 29 victims, could see a few hundred statements entered as exhibits. A makeshift courtroom has been set up in a community event centre in Melfort, Sask., to accommodate all the families, the survivors and the media.
Some of the Humboldt players had been changing into suits and others were texting girlfriends as the team’s bus headed to Nipawin, Sask., for a playoff game on April 6. The bus and truck, which was carrying a load of peat moss, collided at a rural intersection.
Motorists who stopped to help, as well as some parents who were on their way to the game, came across the carnage.
News of the crash made headlines around the world and hockey-loving Canadians responded with an outpouring of support. They pulled on sports jerseys, left hockey sticks on porches and donated millions of dollars.
Sidhu pleaded guilty earlier this month to 16 counts of dangerous driving causing death, which carries a maximum sentence of 14 years each, as well as 13 counts of dangerous driving causing bodily harm, which carries a maximum 10 years.
The wreckage of a fatal bus crash carrying members of the Humboldt Broncos hockey team is shown outside of Tisdale, Sask., on April, 7, 2018. Jonathan Hayward / THE CANADIAN PRESS
Lawyer Mark Brayford said after the guilty plea that Sidhu, 30, wanted to take responsibility to avoid a trial and more hurt for the families.
Joseph said he wants the Crown to ask for the highest sentence possible, although he also believes the trucker isn’t totally at fault. “He might be a bit of a victim in this whole thing too, because he never should have been behind the wheel.”
The facts have yet to be submitted in court, but a lawsuit filed by the family of another player killed in the crash alleges any training Sidhu had was inadequate.
The owner of the Calgary trucking company that hired Sidhu also faces eight charges that relate to non-compliance with federal and provincial safety regulations in the months before the crash. He has yet to go to trial.
Toby Boulet of Lethbridge, Alta., will set eyes on Sidhu for the first time since he saw him at the crash that killed Boulet’s 21-year-old son Logan. Boulet remembers Sidhu was agitated and talking to someone in uniform.
Boulet is also delivering a victim impact statement, but he said the most important thing for him will be to learn what happened. All that’s now known is that the semi was on a secondary road with a stop sign. The bus had the right of way. RCMP have only said publicly that the truck was in the intersection when the collision occurred.
“I want to know what he did or didn’t do,” said Boulet, who added that it doesn’t matter to him what sentence Sidhu gets.
“I’d like to see him serve more than a day in jail, but ultimately he did not get up that morning … and say, ‘I’m going to run into a bus and have a crash and kill 16 people and injure 13 for life.”‘
Ryan Straschnitzki, 19, of Airdrie, Alta., is one of two players paralyzed in the crash. He has been busy with rehabilitation, didn’t want to write a victim impact statement and says he and his parents aren’t going to the hearing.
“That’s none of our business anymore. It’s the judge, it’s the police, and I don’t really see any point in going,” he said.
“It’s in the past and I’m here now and I’m lucky.”
His mother, Michelle Straschnitzki, said it’s been devastating watching her son have to lift his own legs. And she can’t forgive the truck driver, even though she’s sure his own family is also suffering.
“You destroyed 30 families that day. We’re all going to be living with this for the rest of our lives.”
— With files from Bill Graveland in Airdrie, Alta.
A list of those killed and injured in the Humboldt Broncos bus crash
A sentencing hearing is to begin Monday for the driver of a transport truck involved in a deadly crash with the Humboldt Broncos hockey team bus. Jaskirat Singh Sidhu has pleaded guilty to dangerous driving causing death and dangerous driving causing bodily harm for killing 16 people and injuring 13 others on the Broncos bus last April.
Here are those who died in the crash:
Logan Alexander Boulet: A 21-year-old defenceman from Lethbridge, Alta.
Adam Scott Herold: A 16-year-old defenceman from Montmartre, Sask.
Logan William Hunter: An 18-year-old forward from St. Albert, Alta.
Jaxon Christopher Joseph: A 20-year-old forward from St. Albert, Alta.
Jacob Paul Benjamin Leicht: A 19-year-old forward from Humboldt, Sask.
Conner Jamie Lukan: A 21-year-old forward from Slave Lake, Alta.
Logan Evan Schatz: A 20-year-old forward from Allan, Sask.
Evan Thomas: An 18-year-old forward from Saskatoon, Sask.
Parker Allen Tobin: An 18-year-old goalie from Stony Plain, Alta.
Stephen Wack: A 21-year-old defenceman from St. Albert, Alta.
Tyler Anthony Bieber: A 29-year-old play-by-play announcer from Humboldt, Sask.
Dayna Brons: A 24-year-old athletic therapist from Lake Lenore, Sask.
Mark Travis Cross: A 27-year-old assistant coach from Strasbourg, Sask.
Glen Doerksen: A 59-year-old bus driver from Carrot River, Sask.
Darcy Haugan: The team’s 42-year-old head coach from Humboldt, Sask.
Brody Joseph Hinz: The team’s 18-year-old statistician from Humboldt, Sask.
Here are the 13 players who were injured:
Graysen Cameron: The 19-year-old forward from Olds, Alta., can’t play hockey again after suffering back injuries in the crash. He has become an assistant coach for the Red Deer Optimist Chiefs, a top-tier, triple-A hockey team in the Alberta Midget Hockey League.
Brayden Camrud: The 21-year-old forward from Saskatoon overcame a severe concussion, loss of feeling in one of his arms and neck issues. He has returned to play with the Broncos this season.
Kaleb Dahlgren: The 21-year-old forward from Saskatoon suffered a fractured skull, a puncture wound in his head, a brain injury and six broken vertebrae in his back and neck. He has committed to play for the Lions hockey team at York University in Toronto.
Bryce Fiske: The 21-year-old defenceman from La Ronge, Sask., is studying commerce and playing hockey for the Ridgebacks at the University of Ontario Institute of Technology.
Morgan Gobeil: The 19-year-old defenceman from Humboldt, Sask., suffered a brain injury in the crash. His family said in a statement in September that he is recovering but would still be in hospital for a few more months.
Matthieu Gomercic: The 21-year-old forward from Winnipeg had minor injuries from the crash and has also joined the Ridgebacks at the University of Ontario Institute of Technology. He is studying kinesiology.
Xavier LaBelle: The 19-year-old defenceman from Saskatoon suffered a fractured skull, a concussion, internal bleeding and 20 broken bones in the crash. He has joined the Saskatoon Blades, his hometown Western Hockey League team, as an assistant to the coaches.
Layne Matechuk: The 18-year-old defenceman from Colonsay, Sask., suffered a brain injury in the crash. He was in a coma for a month and had to learn to walk again, but has since left the hospital. His family says he is on the road to recovery.
Derek Patter: The 20-year-old forward from Edmonton has returned to play with the Broncos this season.
Nick Shumlanski: The 21-year-old forward from Tisdale, Sask., walked away from the crash with minor injuries and is playing hockey for the University of Prince Edward Island Panthers in Charlottetown, P.E.I.
Tyler Smith: The 20-year-old forward from Leduc, Alta., had a broken collarbone, a broken shoulder blade and nerve damage down his left arm. He returned to play with the Broncos for about a month in the fall, but has since decided to step away from the team so he can continue his recovery at home.
Ryan Straschnitzki: The 19-year-old defenceman from Airdrie, Alta., was paralyzed from the chest down in the crash and continues his recovery with his family. Straschnitzki played in an exhibition sledge hockey charity game in Calgary in September and is hoping to eventually represent Canada at the Winter Olympics.
Jacob Wassermann: The 19-year-old goalie from Humboldt, Sask. was paralyzed from the naval down. His dad said in November that he has started to have movement in his hips and his glute. He has also turned to sledge hockey to keep his on-ice dream alive.
http://torontosun.com/news/national...oncos-families-prepare-for-sentencing-hearing
