The Humboldt Broncos, a hockey team made up of 16- to 21-year-olds, were on their way to a playoff game on Friday, April 6 when their bus collided with the trailer of a semi. It took quite some time for the deaths to be released to the public, but it now rests at 16 dead from the crash.
Not only were there many fatalities, but some of those who were injured in the accident may never reach their full potential due to the extent of their injuries. “It would be very hard to cope with the fact that I may not be able to play the sport I grew up around anymore,” said senior Ellie Spelhaug. “But it would be a small sacrifice to know that I get to continue to live my life, even if it may be different from life as I knew it before.” As the injured sit in the hospital trying to heal, they have been asking their parents about how the rest of the team is doing. “He keeps asking about his team and coaches,” one father told BBC. “I say: I don’t know, son.” There is fear that if they hear of the status of their teammates and coaches, they won’t have the fight to get better.
The hockey teams across Canada are like a giant family. It is well known around the world that hockey is very popular there. For this reason they have received condolences from all over the globe, including from Donald Trump. The mayor of Humboldt, Rob Muench, says it may take years to cope with this tragedy. Things like this cause people to put themselves into the shoes of those who experienced the tragedy. “It’s so sad, especially for junior hockey players taking a bus hundreds of times a year,” said junior Luke Toporowski. “The bus is a time you look forward to bonding with teammates that eventually turn into lifelong friends. The hockey community is mourning with the Humboldt Broncos and everyone impacted. Prayers are with all of them.”
Police reported that there were 29 people on the bus, including the driver. 15 were killed in the crash; the rest were taking to the hospital, with two in critical condition. By the day after the crash the cause had not yet been determined. A few proposed causes have been that the bus driver ran the stop sign, or is not as experienced of a driver and took too long to turn left and get out of the way of other vehicles needing to go through the intersection on Highway 35. The intersection is not labeled as dangerous due to the fact that it is open and straight, which leaves people more curious.
Since the tragic accident a shrine has been started by the intersection to honor those affected. It consists of stuffed animals, flowers, crosses and more. It is joined by another shrine for a family in a pickup truck who crashed there years ago.
