(Update 11:00 a.m.): A Saskatchewan court has heard that semi-driver Jaskirat Singh Sidhu barelled through an oversized stop sign with a flashing red light before the deadly Humboldt Broncos bus crash.
According to an agreed statement of facts, Sidhu was going between 86 and 96 km/h when he drove into the intersection north of Tisdale last April.
The statement adds that the driver of the junior hockey team's bus pressed the brakes and skidded for approximately 24 metres. It then T-boned the truck with an impact of between 96 and 107 km/h.
Crown prosecutor Thomas Healey explained that there was no way the driver of the bus could escape the collision.
“The driver of the bus recognized the hazard as quickly as possible,” Healey told the court.
RCMP's statement found no evidence that Sidhu used drugs, alcohol or that he was distracted by a cellphone.
Bernadine Boulet gave the first victim impact statement where she mentioned the loss of her 21-year-old son left a constant ache in her chest.
“I am constantly surrounded by reminders of Logan. Many of them make me smile and remember my amazing, teasing, kind son,” she said. “But often it’s the little things that are the most difficult and my chest aches, my throat constricts and tears fill my eyes.”
“This crash has cheated us out of many things in our future. It has cheated Logan out of his future.”
Toby Boulet added that he is trying to find peace in the consuming grief over his son and that he doesn't think the truck driver is an evil person.
“I need to tell Mr. Sidhu that I do not believe that you got out of bed on the morning of April 6 to cause a crash, that he would ultimately kill our only son Logan,” he said. “I believe he feels tremendous remorse with all of the fiber of his being … I believe Mr. Sidhu wishes he could start April 6 all over again. I want the same. We all want the same. But, Mr. Sidhu, I know that this cannot happen and our Logan is not coming home.”
(Original - 7:45 a.m.): The sentencing hearing for the truck driver who caused the deadly Humboldt Broncos bus crash is set to begin today.
Last April, the collision at a rural intersection in Saskatchewan killed 16 people while injuring 13 others on the junior hockey team's bus.
Jaskirat Singh Sidhu of Calgary pleaded guilty to all 29 counts of dangerous driving laid against him earlier this month. He had been hauling peat moss when his truck and the bus collided.
The 30-year-old man faces a maximum sentence of 14 years for each charge of dangerous driving causing death and 10 years for dangerous driving causing harm. The hearing, which takes place in an event centre in Melfort, Sask, will last for five days.
Victim impact statements will be submitted by Toby Boulet and former NHL player Chris Joseph, both of which lost their sons in the crash. Because there were so many victims, the hearing could see hundreds of statements entered as exhibits.
A safety review done for the Saskatchewan government was released in December of 2018. It mentioned that sight lines at the intersection are a safety concern and recommended removing a stand of trees obstructing the view of drivers approaching from the east and south, the same directions the bus and truck collided from.
The owner of the trucking company that hired Sidhu will also face eight counts related to non-compliance with federal and provincial safety regulations in the months before the crash.
Staring in March, the Saskatchewan government will introduce mandatory training for all semi-truck drivers.
With files from the Canadian Press.
