Families of Logan Hunter and Jaxon Joseph, two St. Albert hockey players who were killed last April in the Humboldt Broncos bus crash, say they feel a degree of gratitude that the driver of a semi-truck involved in the fatal collision entered guilty pleas last week.
Shauna Nordstrom, Hunter’s mother, said it was good the families will not have to go through a drawn-out court process.
“Once we heard the guilty plea, there was a sense of relief that our families won’t be going through a long court case,” Nordstrom said in an email.
“It’s a daily struggle dealing with the circumstances surrounding this horrible accident.”
The driver of the semi-truck who struck the Humboldt Broncos team bus, killing 16 people and injuring 13 others, pleaded guilty to dozens of charges last Tuesday. Jaskirat Singh Sidhu pleaded guilty to 16 counts of dangerous driving causing death and 13 counts of dangerous driving causing bodily harm in a Melfort, Sask., courtroom.
The crash at the heart of his guilty pleas took the lives of four former St. Albert Raiders hockey players: Jaxon Joseph, Logan Hunter, Stephen Wack and Conner Lukan.
Chris Joseph, father of Jaxon Joseph, said his family is “somewhat grateful” to Jaskirat Singh Sidhu for pleading guilty.
“I think just hearing him say it and acknowledging the fact that he did it, I had mixed emotions. It brought April 6 back again. It was very challenging,” he said.
“We were somewhat grateful to Mr. Sidhu for not putting us through more – but at the same time, we think about what we lost.”
The father said his family is not quite ready to use the word “forgive,” but said they are thankful Sidhu did not put the families through more. He said the family has a little bit of respect for Sidhu for his plea.
“We do feel like he is remorseful, but we do feel like people need to be accountable for actions and not their words,” Joseph said.
While many people say Sidhu made a mistake, Joseph believes he needs to be held to a higher standard because he is a professional driver.
In an op-ed letter published in Postmedia news outlets in September, Tricia Wack, the mother of Stephen Wack, said she forgave Sidhu for the crash that killed her son.
“To Jaskirat Singh Sidhu, I say the following. I forgive you. Since Stephen’s death in the crash that day, I often ask myself, what would Stephen think, say or do? The answers often govern my actions. I can say with conviction that my son Stephen would forgive you. Stephen was a spiritual young man with a strong faith in God; he practiced forgiveness with an open heart and was compassionate by nature,” Wack wrote.
Joseph said he will be travelling to Melfort for the sentencing and hopes to see the maximum sentence of 14 years imposed because he wants to see changes to the industry.
“I don’t want to see maximum because I want Mr. Sidhu punished. That’s not the goal. The goal is to invoke change in the industry and make the road safer, make the training safer, because we believe that he was an unqualified driver working for an unqualified company. And he was a danger to the road because of how he was taught,” Joseph said.
Many of the families of the Humboldt Broncos players are calling for changes to the trucking industry and road safety in Canada.
Along with conveying her forgiveness in her op-ed, Wack advocated for seat belts on buses.
“While the crash scene depicts devastation, look more closely and you will see the majority of bus seats intact. What would the outcome have been if the team had been wearing shoulder harness seatbelts that day?” Wack questioned.
“Seatbelts can only save lives if people wear them. Let’s enact law to empower bus drivers and those in authority on buses to facilitate the wearing of those bus belts.”
Nordstrom also said she wants to see changes to the transportation industry.
“Changes to the trucking industry need to happen for safety on our roads. Seat belts on buses need to be part of our everyday life,” Nordstrom said.
Joseph wondered what would have happened in the accident if seat belts were mandatory. He said if just one life was saved, seat belts on buses would be worth it.
The father said people wear seat belts in their personal vehicles and in airplanes but not on buses, and he wants to see that change.
Sentencing is slated to begin Jan. 28 in Melfort, Sask., for the 29-year-old Sidhu.
The Crown said the case may need three to five days for sentencing to accommodate the large number of victim impact statements that will be read. Joseph said he will be reading a victim impact statement but so far has had trouble writing it.
“I haven’t gotten past one paragraph. I don’t know what to say to this person.”
Joseph said he believes that Jan. 28 could be one of the hardest days of his life, next to April 6 and 7.
“Maybe I’ll have some strength in numbers with the other families that I don’t know. But I’m scared. I think it’s going to be extremely difficult.”
The maximum punishment for the crimes Sidhu pleaded guilty to is 14 years on each count of dangerous driving causing death and 10 years behind bars for each count of dangerous driving causing injury.
