Transport truck driver charged in Humboldt crash out on bail
MELFORT, SASK.— A transport truck driver charged in a crash that killed 16 people with the Humboldt Broncos junior hockey team bus has been released on $1,000 bail.
Jaskirat Sidhu, who is 29 and from Calgary, faces several conditions, including that he not drive and that he surrender his passport.
Sidhu is charged with 16 counts of dangerous driving causing death and 13 counts of dangerous driving causing bodily injury.
He appeared in a Melfort, Sask., court Tuesday morning, where the case was put over to Aug. 21.
Sixteen people, including 10 players, were killed and 13 players were injured when the junior hockey team’s bus and a transport truck driven by Sidhu crashed at a rural Saskatchewan intersection on April 6.
RCMP have said they will not release any details of the investigation or what they believe happened. The only thing the Mounties have said to this point is that the truck was in the intersection when the collision occurred.
Meanwhile, the family of one of the junior hockey players killed has filed a lawsuit.
The suit alleges negligence by Sidhu, and also lists as defendants the Calgary-based trucking company that employed Sidhu, as well as the bus manufacturer. The lawsuit alleges that Sidhu received two weeks of driver training and, on his first time driving the route, failed to stop at a stop sign before hitting the bus.
Russell and Raelene Herold of Montmartre, Sask., filed the statement of claim on behalf of their16-year-old son, Adam Herold.
Allegations contained in the lawsuit have not been proven and no statements of defence have yet been filed in court.
In related news, the province of Alberta plans to make driver training for new commercial truckers mandatory as early as January 2019.
Transportation Minister Bri- an Mason said the rules of the program will be hashed out with Albertans and industry representatives in the coming months to make sure that the changes don’t needlessly restrict business while keeping the roads safe.