Indian Sikh-Canadian Man was the driver of the semi that crashed into Humboldt Broncos Bus, Fled home
The driver of a semi truck involved in the horrific crash that killed 15 people on board the Humboldt Broncos' team bus had only recently started with the small Calgary company, its owner said Tuesday.
In an open letter to the semi driver shared online more than 139,000 times online, an Ottawa woman says she hopes the driver will "be able to heal" as families, victims and the rest of the country does the same.
"As we all sit back and contemplate everything that has occurred since the collision and start to process the massive emotional impact of the death of 15 people, I want you to know you are in our minds too," the letter reads. "Please know that some of us are thinking of you as well."
RCMP in Saskatchewan said the bus was carrying 29 people as the team was on the way to play the Nipawin Hawks when it collided with a transport trailer near the intersection of Highway 335 and Highway 35.
Fifteen were killed and 14 people were injured.
The damaged trailer was being stored at an impound lot in Saskatoon, feet away from the mangled remains of the bus that had been carrying members of the Humboldt Broncos team.
Police said the truck driver, who was taken into custody after the crash and released a short time later, wasn't injured in the crash. The driver was also given mental health and wellness assistance, police said.
The stop sign on Highway 335 at the intersection of highway 35 near Tisdale, Sask., on Tuesday, April 10.According to Claude Gobeil, the managing director of Premier Tech's Carrot River operation, the truck had picked up peat moss from his company in Carrot River and was travelling to Alberta at the time of the collision.
Singh said the truck was headed to Melfort, Sask., a distance of about 100 kilometres from Carrot River, when the crash occurred before it was scheduled to head back to Calgary.
Collision experts have said it could be months before investigators determine what caused the crash.
"Two objects come together and they depart at different angles, and you're looking for any indication of braking, skid marks, gouge marks on the roadway, that kind of thing," said retired RCMP collision analyst Rob Creasser.
While driving down Highway 335, the semi truck would have had to stop at a stop sign before crossing over the highway the hockey bus was travelling on. There is a stand of trees on the southeast corner of the intersection, limiting visibility of the approach on both roads.
"I don't know why this happened," Singh said, offering his sympathies to the families of the victims.
"They don't sit alone. I have kids, too."