Parents of twins killed in accident leaning on faith
Luge-bobsled track fatality inquiry hears evidence
Their faith in God has spared a Calgary couple feelings of blame and anger over the Calgary Olympic Park deaths of their sons, a fatality inquiry heard Monday.
Jason and Shauna Caldwell stood before provincial court Judge Margaret Keelaghan at the beginning of the week-long hearing to express their thoughts on the loss of their sons.
“Because of grace, we do not appear at this inquiry with feelings of blame, anger, vengeance, or frustration,” Jason Caldwell said.
“It’s not that we are ignoring the reality of our grief. But instead, we accept that sovereign forces of providence were at work on the night of Feb. 6, 2016.”
On that date, their 17-year-old twins, Evan and Jordan, along with six friends, snuck into the closed bobsled run at Canada Olympic Park and on three separate plastic sleds slid down the track.
Earlier that day a barricade separating the bobsled and luge runs had been locked in place to close the former and the three sleds crashed, killing the brothers.
“Six boys were spared death, three of whom experienced lifechanging injuries, and our two sons died,” their father said, with wife Shauna at his side.
“These are the facts with lifetime implications for so many.
“But the greatest fact of all is that because Jordan and Evan knew Jesus as their saviour, death is not the end. We will see them again.”
Meanwhile, in evidence at the inquiry, former security guard Helena Falk, who still works for WinSport, operator of the facility, testified about the early morning tragedy.
“At 1:32 (a.m.) I received a call from EMS that there was a 911 call from the bobsled track,” Falk told inquiry counsel Cynthia Hykaway, as she choked back tears.
“EMS requested me to unlock all the gates to the park.”
Falk then allowed both Calgary police and paramedics access to the site, before informing her supervisor about the call.
“We didn’t know the nature of the incident, or how serious it was,” she said. “We weren’t sure exactly what happened.”
But an hour later Falk got the tragic news.
“That’s when we were informed there were two deceased,” she said, breaking down in tears.
She told Hykaway she had not seen any of the teenagers in the park before the call from EMS.
Calgary Police Service Det. Neil MacPherson, who responded to the scene the morning of the accident, told the inquiry the boys climbed over a fence that was more than two-metres high at the top of the sliding track to get into the start house.
MacPherson said there were “no trespassing ” signs and three boys involved in the Feb. 6, 2016, tragedy had snuck into the park nearly two weeks before.
Meanwhile, the inquiry will make a rare courtroom road trip Tuesday as Keelaghan and counsel for the inquiry and WinSport will go to COP to view the crash site.
Keelaghan can’t find blame but can make recommendations to prevent similar deaths.