The death toll from a horrific crash involving a Saskatchewan junior hockey team bus has risen to 15.
The RCMP said a 15th person died Saturday, after 14 fatalities were announced overnight. Another 14 people were injured — some critically — in the collision near Tisdale, Sask.
The president of the Humboldt Broncos hockey team fought back tears Saturday as he described being “heartbroken and completely devastated” by the crash.
Head coach Darcy Haugan was one of the victims who died when the bus collided with a semi-trailer.
Humboldt Broncos president Kevin Garinger spoke of his heartbreak at a news conference in Humboldt on Saturday. (CBC News)
Broncos team captain Logan Schatz, 20, and players Adam Herold, 16, and Jaxon Joseph, 20, were among those killed in the crash.
A close family friend said Matthieu Gomercic, from Winnipeg, survived the crash with “minor injuries.”
Derek Patter, Greyson Cameron and Nick Shumlanski also were among the injured.
Tyler Bieber, who worked with Humboldt radio station 107.5 Bolt FM, is among 14 people killed in the crash. (CBC News)
Humboldt Mayor Rob Muench was also emotional as he spoke of the widespread impact the crash has had, adding that he had spoken to Prime Minister Justin Trudeau earlier in the day.
“This tragedy has hit a number of people, not just us but I think everybody can relate to this experience,” said Muench.
“Throughout Canada we see teams going out into the Canadian winters on buses all the time and it’s always a thought in parents and fans minds about what can happen and unfortunately has happened here.”
Humboldt Broncos head coach Darcy Haugan was killed in the collision that killed 15 people and injured 14 others. (Twitter/@DebbieJayneC)
Police say there were 29 people on the bus at the time of the crash, including the driver.
Garinger said all families of the deceased have been notified.
Speaking at the news conference on Saturday, RCMP Saskatchewan Assistant Commissioner Curtis Zablocki revealed new details about the crash and the investigation.
He said the male driver of the semi-trailer was not injured and, although he was detained temporarily after the collision, he has now been released.
Zablocki said it was too early to comment on the cause of the collision but he confirmed the semi-trailer was travelling westbound on Highway 335 when it collided with the bus travelling northbound on Highway 35.
“This is a very involved investigation and, due to the large amount of evidence, information, and the number of victims, this work will take some time,” said Zablocki.
Bill Chow, the president of the Saskatchewan Junior Hockey League, became emotional at a news conference in Humboldt on Saturday.(CBC News)
Bill Chow, the president of the Saskatchewan Junior Hockey League, had to pause as he was overwhelmed with emotion at Saturday’s news conference.
“The worst nightmare has happened. As a league, we will support the Humboldt Broncos in every way possible,” he said.
A GoFundMe page raising money for families affected by the crash had raised $ 1 million of its $ 2 million goal by 2 p.m. Saturday, 18 hours after it was created.
Tom Straschnitzki, the father of Ryan Straschnitzki, one of the players injured in the crash, said his son suffered a severe back injury.
“He’s alive and breathing, and from what we know he has a broken back, and as of now, can’t feel anything from his waist down.”
Broncos team member Ryan Straschnitzki suffered a severe back injury in the crash, according to his father Tom.(Submitted by Straschnitzki family)
“He remembers he was in the middle of the bus and then he remembers waking up when the paramedics took him off the bus … and he said, ‘I thought the semi T-boned right in the middle,’ but he said, ‘no, it was in the front of the bus.'”
Tom and his wife will be leaving Airdrie, Alta., today to see their son.
Horror crash
The Nipawin Hawks of the Saskatchewan Junior Hockey League say the crash involved the team bus of the Humboldt Broncos, who were on their way to Nipawin for Game 5 of its SJHL semifinal series. The crash happened about 30 kilometres north of Tisdale, Sask.
I cannot imagine what these parents are going through, and my heart goes out to everyone affected by this terrible tragedy, in the Humboldt community and beyond. https://t.co/2cIn2CTy08
—@JustinTrudeau
Just spoke to @JustinTrudeau to pay my highest respect and condolences to the families of the terrible Humboldt Team tragedy. May God be with them all!
—@realDonaldTrump
The Hawks had been scheduled to play the Broncos on Friday night, but said on Facebook shortly after 6 p.m. CST that the game was cancelled because of the crash.
“Our community is in utter shock and we are trying our best to comes to grips with this unimaginable tragedy,” Broncos president Kevin Garinger said on Saturday morning.
Like others in the small community of nearly 6,000, he said he knew each of the young men and staff on the team personally, and had been billeting one of the players at his home.
We are just in utter disbelief and shock at the loss that’s fallen upon us.– Broncos president Kevin Garinger
“This is much larger than anyone can begin to imagine.”
Garinger had been in Edmonton visiting a nephew in the hospital, when he got a call from a fan, asking about reports of the crash. Once he started making phone calls, he learned of the extent of the collision.
“We are just in utter disbelief and shock at the loss that’s fallen upon us.”
He said the entire Broncos organization wanted to share their “deepest thoughts and prayers” to those most impacted by the crash, as well as their thanks to the emergency personnel who responded to the crash.
Humboldt’s Elgar Petersen Arena was turned into a mobile crisis unit, as people gathered to support one another. Some made phone calls as they attempted to learn more about the status of their loved ones.
The father of one of the injured players posted this photo on Twitter. From the left are Derek Patter, Greyson Cameron and Nick Shumlanski. (Twitter/rjpatter)
Daigon Elny was a member of the team last year, and was one of the people at the arena.
“We were a family,” he said. “You come to the rink… what’s better than that?
“Now I don’t know what goes on now.”
Premier, prime minister offer condolences
“Words can not describe the loss that we feel tonight,” wrote Saskatchewan Premier Scott Moe in a Facebook post. “To the City of Humboldt, the entire Broncos organization, and the families impacted by this tragedy, please know you are in Saskatchewan’s hearts.”
U.S. President Donald Trump wrote on Twitter that he had spoken to Trudeau to “pay my highest respect and condolences to the families of the terrible Humboldt Team tragedy. May God be with them all!”
The collision took place Friday evening on Highway 35, about 30 kilometres north of Tisdale, Sask., near the junction of Highway 335, when a semi-trailer collided with the bus, the RCMP said.
STARS air ambulance says it sent two helicopters to the scene.
A few family members contacted by CBC News said they were waiting to hear more concrete details about their loved ones on the team.
The team includes 24 players, all from Western Canada, ranging in age from 16 to 21.
There are 24 members of the Humboldt Broncos, with members of the team ranging in age from 16 to 21.(Humboldt Broncos/Twitter)
‘It’s going to hit the community hard’
Humboldt Mayor Rob Muench said he first heard about the crash on social media.
“It was horrifying,” he said, noting there are a few “local kids” on the team.
“It’s going to hit the community hard.”
A team bus carrying fans was also headed to Nipawin for the game.
The Nipawin Apostolic Church, located at 109 Fourth Avenue East, is serving as a gathering place for families, and more information will be shared there, according to the RCMP. Emergency services and Victim Services representatives will also be on site.
Parents and family of individuals seeking information about their family members who may have been in the collision can call 306-752-8700.
The Saskatchewan Health Authority issued a statement Saturday commending medical workers for their response to the crash.
“They, along with other emergency services including police, fire departments and STARS, came together as one single team to provide care and comfort to those affected by this terrible event,” said chief executive officer Scott Livingstone.
This is the second time a Saskatchewan team with the name “Broncos” has been involved in a highway crash.
The Swift Current Broncos bus crash occurred in December 1986, killing four members of the Western Hockey League team. A memorial was placed at the site of the crash, about four kilometres east of Swift Current.
