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14 dead in bus crash involving Saskatchewan junior hockey team
CTVNews.ca Staff
Published Friday, April 6, 2018 9:11PM EDT
Last Updated Saturday, April 7, 2018 12:54PM EDT

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Fourteen people are dead and 14 are in hospital after a bus carrying a junior hockey team to a game in Saskatchewan collided with a transport truck on a rural highway, according to RCMP.
The crash involving the Humboldt Broncos team bus occurred on Highway 335 near Gronlid, more than 200 kilometres northeast of Saskatoon, late Friday afternoon.
The bus was T-boned by a transport truck, according to the president of the Nipawin Hawks, which was scheduled to play the Broncos Friday night.
"It's a horrible accident, my God," team president Darren Opp told The Canadian Press. "There's uncles and moms and dads waiting to hear whether their sons and nephews are OK.”
"It's terrible. It's absolutely terrible."
More than 100 people, including parents and grandparents of some of the players on the bus, are gathered at a church in Nipawin, Sask. according to a local pastor.
"Lots of them are waiting for information," said Pastor Jordan Gadsby of the Apostolic Church. "Some of the families have gotten information and have gone to be with their kids. Some of them are waiting to hear if their kids are alive."
RCMP Insp. Ted Munro said “significant resources” have been deployed to the scene, and that emergency crews are still treating the injured. He would not confirm how many people were on the bus.
As for fatalities, Munro said next of kin are being notified and it would be “premature” for police to provide details of the number of deceased.
“At this time our primary focus is to treat the injured and get them to the required medical facilities,” Munro said at a press conference Friday night.
The team is part of the Saskatchewan Junior Hockey League, which is open to players 20 years or younger.
Three air ambulance helicopters were dispatched to the scene, a spokesperson from STARS Ambulance told CTV News.
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14 dead in bus crash involving Saskatchewan junior hockey team

It is “rather unusual” to send three helicopters to a scene, STARS spokesperson Mark Oddan said.
“It is rather unusual but this is a very unusual case, and we really wanted to be able to help as best we could with this tragic accident,” Oddan told CTV News Channel on Friday.
Oddan could not confirm details on casualties but said each air ambulance is capable of carrying up to two patients.
The Nipawin Hawks were scheduled to play the team Friday night, but confirmed that the game has been cancelled due to the crash.
In a statement on Twitter, Prime Minister Justin Trudeau said, “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.”
Public Safety Minister Ralph Goodale called the collision “truly devastating” and offered condolences to family and friends of the victims.
“First responders are on the scene doing everything possible to help. Love + prayers to all,” Goodale said on Twitter.
Saskatchewan Premier Scott Moe said he found the news “difficult to comprehend.”
“To the City of Humboldt, the entire Broncos organization, and the families impacted by this tragedy, please know you are in Saskatchewan’s hearts,” Moe said in a Facebook statement.
“From a grieving province, thank you to every one of the first responders and medical professionals for your courageous response under the most difficult circumstances imaginable.”
With files from The Canadian Press
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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://twitter.com/ralphgoodale/status ... 5429342209 …
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I spent all night hoping the news would be better, but woke up to this. 14 dead, three in critical. @CTVNews #prayforhumbolt
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'You are in Saskatchewan's hearts': 14 confirmed dead in junior hockey team bus crash

Semi-trailer collided with passenger bus about 30 kilometres north of Tisdale, Sask.

CBC News · Posted: Apr 06, 2018 6:40 PM CT | Last Updated: an hour ago


There are 24 members of the Humboldt Broncos, with members of the team ranging in age from 16 to 21. (Humboldt Broncos/Twitter)
The RCMP confirmed 14 fatalities and 14 injuries in a collision involving a junior hockey team's bus in Saskatchewan on Friday, with rescue efforts ongoing late into the evening.

Police say there were 28 people on the bus at the time of the crash, including the driver. Three of the injuries are critical in nature. RCMP would not confirm whether the deceased were players or coaches as they work with partner agencies to notify and support families.

'Hockey stands with you': Condolences, support pour in for Humboldt Broncos after crash
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)
"I think he's still in shock, still asking how everyone is and who perished and who didn't."

"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.



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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://twitter.com/ralphgoodale/status ... 5429342209 …
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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."

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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.



Humboldt Mayor Rob Muench lays flowers at the steps of the Humboldt Broncos ice hockey rink. (Charles Hamilton/CBC News)
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."

Prime Minister Justin Trudeau expressed his condolences as well, writing on Twitter, "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."

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.



Members of the hockey community took to social media to send their condolences and offer support to the families of the Humboldt Broncos hockey team. (Amanda Brochu)
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.

Traffic on the highway will be blocked or restricted for several hours and drivers can expect lengthy delays. Drivers are asked to avoid the area, if possible.


Families, friends and supporters of the Humboldt hockey team gathered in Nipawin's Apostolic Church as they waited for news of loved ones. (Photo supplied by Kymber Rae Photography)
'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.

Pastor Jordan Gadsby said that around 100 people were gathered before 9 p.m. CST, including families from Humboldt.

The community was coming out to help, with local grocery stores bringing food, while others brought phone chargers and help to connect families with relatives. Those who had heard news about their loved ones quickly left to go to nearby hospitals, while others were still waiting to hear news, he said.



RCMP Insp. Ted Munro provided an update to reporters in F Division Headquarters in Regina on Friday night, saying that rescue efforts were ongoing and that RCMP could not confirm details about fatalities or injuries. (CBC News)
Parents and family of individuals seeking information about their family members who may have been in the collision can call 306-752-8700.

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.​

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I'm indifferent about professional sports, but this? This was a class act of sportsmanship.

One of the dead bodies was misidentified. So terrible for the families.

https://www.ctvnews.ca/canada/body-in-b ... -1.3877111

Brody Hinz went to church every Sunday.

The 18-year-old competed in bowling and floor hockey with the Special Olympics.

And, with a knack for math and an exceptional memory, he compiled statistics for his beloved Humboldt Broncos.

Hinz was one of 16 people who died when the junior hockey team's bus and a semi-truck collided last week on the way to a playoff game in northeastern Saskatchewan.

"He gave us so much," Rev. Brenda Curtis with the Humboldt Westminster United Church told The Canadian Press.

She remembers that as a six-year-old, Hinz was able to read and once, after watching a weather report on the TV news, replicated on a chalk board a map of Canada with cities and temperatures. Her jaw hit the floor.

Later, on drives to summer Bible camp, she'd quiz him on his encyclopedic memory of sports.

"I'd say, 'So Brody, tell me who won the Super Bowl in 1952.' He'd tell me. I'd say, 'And who was quarterbacking?' And he'd tell me. I'd say, 'Who was the MVP?' And he'd tell me ... You literally couldn't stump him."

His father died when he was young and the church, friends and other organizations in the community such as Big Brothers helped support him and his family, Curtis said.

And in return, Hinz taught them about being kind and making a difference, Curtis said

Hinz was full of life and, as a boy in church, instead of singing to hymns — he danced. He loosened everyone up in the congregation, she said.

Later as a teen, he helped teach Sunday school and the kids adored him, Curtis said. So did the men at church, who huddled with him in the lobby near the coffee pot each Sunday morning to talk sports.

Not only could he remember everything and do math calculations in his head, he was able to make accurate predictions, said his Humboldt high school principal, Cory Popoff.

"Before training camp started for the NHL ... he said the Las Vegas (Golden) Knights will not only be in the playoffs in their first year, they will be contenders for the Stanley Cup. And now look what happened."

Hinz played two seasons with the high school football team, said Popoff, and was chosen because he gave 100 per cent each minute he was on the field. After hurting his knee this past year, he helped out as equipment manager.

Hinz was treated like every other kid in school, Popoff added, and everyone there is going to miss him.

He was even more excited when he got the chance this season to join the Broncos as their stats keeper, she said.

"He was on Cloud 9 to be able to do that."

It was a volunteer position with the local radio station that saw Hinz travel with the team he had been watching since he was young.

He worked alongside the station's play-by-play announcer, Tyler Bieber, who was also on the bus and died in the crash.