Semi driver in Humboldt crash set to appear in court Tuesday

Criminal charges a result of intensive three-month investigation by RCMP

The semi-trailer driver facing 29 criminal charges in the Humboldt Broncos bus crash is scheduled to make his first court appearance on Tuesday.

Jaskirat Sidhu is set to appear at 9:30 a.m. in Melfort provincial court, RCMP said Monday.

On Friday, three months to the day after the Broncos bus tragedy, Sidhu was 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 harm.

Sidhu was arrested Friday without incident at his residence in Calgary. Sixteen people died and another 13 were injured after the Saskatchewan Junior Hockey League team’s bus — bound for a playoff game in Nipawin — collided with a tractor-trailer unit north of Tisdale just after 5 p.m. on April 6. The driver of the semi was not injured in the collision.

Tom Straschnitzki, whose son Ryan was paralyzed from the chest down, said last week he is relieved charges were laid.

“It’s finally come to charges being laid, so we are very happy about that because we don’t want that to be ignored at all,” Straschnitzki told The Canadian Press.

“It should put a little closure to the first step, and the second step is ... let’s see what the courts do and find out what exactly happened.

“I think that’s what people want to know. What exactly happened? How it did happen and why it happened.”

Straschnitzki said he and his wife Michelle hadn’t thought much about charges in the three months since the crash.

“We were just too focused on Ryan and just had the faith in the RCMP that they did a lot of hard work to get it done. I guess we’ll just wait and see in the courts.”

Supt. Derek Williams, the officer in charge of Saskatchewan RCMP’s major crimes unit, said a core team of 20 investigators — with as many as 100 contributing to the investigation — conducted more than 60 interviews, took more than 6,000 photographs, analyzed all documentation available, and used 3D technology to gather evidence using drones.

The speed of the vehicles, point of impact, position of the vehicles, impairment, road and weather conditions, and witness evidence were all considered, RCMP said. There were no impaired driving charges laid on Friday, Williams said.

“Every piece of information was carefully examined,” said Williams. “This is a tragic event, first and foremost.”

The maximum sentence for dangerous driving causing death is 14 years. The maximum for dangerous driving causing harm is 10 years.

Williams said RCMP consulted extensively with the Crown before Criminal Code charges were laid, as opposed to lesser charges under the Traffic Safety Act.

“I know it’s been difficult for many to await the outcome of this police investigation,” said Saskatchewan RCMP assistant commissioner Curtis Zablocki.

“This important work was necessary.”