Officials puzzle through bus crash
REGINA• It could be weeks or even months before police know why a truck was in a rural Saskatchewan intersection when it crashed with a bus carrying the Humboldt Broncos hockey team.
“There are a lot of unanswered questions and our investigators are committed to providing those answers,” RCMP Assistant Commissioner Curtis Zablocki said at a news conference Thursday. “Complex collision reconstruction investigations take time and are often measured in weeks and months, rather than days.”
He said what is certain is that a tractor-trailer was in the intersection when the collision occurred at about 5 p.m. on April 6.
“All of our efforts are dedicated to determining why the tractor-trailer unit was in the intersection,” Zablocki said. “We know the road conditions were clear and the sun was shining at the time of the collision.”
Zablocki said experts are looking into three areas: environmental factors such as road conditions and visibility, the mechanics of both vehicles and the role of the drivers.
Sixteen people — including 10 players — were killed and another 13 people were injured. The driver of the semitrailer was not hurt. He was taken into custody immediately after the collision and released later that evening.
“The tractor-trailer unit driver remains in regular contact with our officers,” said Zablocki.
He added that it’s too early to comment on if there will be any charges in the case.
Police said more than 50 interviews have taken place with some of the survivors, the driver, the driver’s company and witnesses. More interviews are scheduled in the coming days and weeks.
Zablocki said the driver’s level of experience, the size of his load and where he was headed will be part of the investigation.
Sukhmander Singh, the owner of the Calgary-based trucking company, said the truck driver is doing better.
“He’s feeling good now and going to the doctor,” said Singh, who added the driver is still in counselling.
Singh said he’s basically out of business after Alberta Transportation ordered Adesh Deol Trucking Ltd. to keep its only other truck off the road. The move is standard when a company has been involved in a serious accident, the province has said.
“I’m just waiting for the investigation,” said Singh.
Police said they recovered driver log books along with engine control modules which have been taken to California for further analysis.
The intersection north of Saskatoon was closed Thursday because a dozen reconstruction specialists were doing more tests and analysis. The unit uses a variety of tools including GPS and drones.
WE KNOW THE ROAD CONDITIONS WERE CLEAR.
The GPS system maps points that can be transferred to a specialized program for 2D and 3D viewing. The 3D data can be used to recreate the crash.
The drones allows investigators to get a different perspective of the scene.
Meanwhile, the GoFundMe page dedicated to the Humboldt Broncos, believed to be the largest of its kind in Canadian history, stopped taking donations at midnight Wednesday as planned.
The page displays a final total of $15,185,700 raised from more than 142,000 contributors in 12 days from across Canada and numerous countries around the world.
Team president Kevin Garinger said the money would be transferred to the new Humboldt Broncos Memorial Fund and be used to pay the expenses of the victims’ families.