# Bus Crash Of Junior Hockey Players in Saskatchewan - Fatalities Confirmed \[in 2018\] **URL:** \ **Category:** The Game Room\ **Created:** [April 7, 2018, 5:41am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/bus-crash-of-junior-hockey-players-in-saskatchewan-fatalities-confirmed-in-2018/811965 "2018-04-07T05:41:38Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 3
**Author:** ![Northern\_Piper](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/northern_piper/32/5304_2.png) [@Northern\_Piper](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Northern_Piper)\ **Post date:** [April 8, 2018, 1:23am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/bus-crash-of-junior-hockey-players-in-saskatchewan-fatalities-confirmed-in-2018/811965/41 "2018-04-08T01:23:37Z")
Death toll now up to 15. ☹ ---
**Author:** ![nearwildheaven](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/n/90db22/32.png) [@nearwildheaven](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/nearwildheaven)\ **Post date:** [April 8, 2018, 1:36am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/bus-crash-of-junior-hockey-players-in-saskatchewan-fatalities-confirmed-in-2018/811965/42 "2018-04-08T01:36:13Z")
I can’t believe ANYONE survived that crash, including the truck driver who apparently had only minor injuries. Just curious: does anyone here recognize what (most likely) he was hauling? The packages look relatively lightweight. It was heartbreaking to look at that team picture, knowing that all of them are dead or severely injured. ☹ ---
**Author:** ![Elendil\_s\_Heir](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/7cd45c/32.png) [@Elendil\_s\_Heir](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Elendil_s_Heir)\ **Post date:** [April 8, 2018, 1:38am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/bus-crash-of-junior-hockey-players-in-saskatchewan-fatalities-confirmed-in-2018/811965/43 "2018-04-08T01:38:12Z")
What a terrible, terrible shame. May the Good Lord bless and keep the souls of those who died, and may those who lost loved ones be comforted in their grief. ---
**Author:** ![Riemann](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/riemann/32/3133_2.png) [@Riemann](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Riemann)\ **Post date:** [April 8, 2018, 1:50am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/bus-crash-of-junior-hockey-players-in-saskatchewan-fatalities-confirmed-in-2018/811965/44 "2018-04-08T01:50:53Z")
Here’s the junction: [https://www.google.com/maps/place/Tisdale,+SK+S0E+1T0,+Canada/@53.0979466,-104.0288082,834a,35y,39.12t/data=!3m1!1e3!4m5!3m4!1s0x52fd8c60a2b65ed7:0x7a837712090a42c0!8m2!3d52.8473958!4d-104.0489835](https://www.google.com/maps/place/Tisdale,+SK+S0E+1T0,+Canada/@53.0979466,-104.0288082,834a,35y,39.12t/data=!3m1!1e3!4m5!3m4!1s0x52fd8c60a2b65ed7:0x7a837712090a42c0!8m2!3d52.8473958!4d-104.0489835) The accident wreckage is on the NW corner, so the two vehicles were presumably traveling northbound on 35, and westbound on 335. There are stop signs controlling E-W traffic on 335 visible in various footage, but I don’t think there are any stop signs on 35. aerial footage: > **[Video: Aerial view of Saskatchewan bus tragedy](https://www.theglobeandmail.com/canada/video-aerial-view-of-saskatchewan-bus-tragedy-2/)** > > Aerial footage shows the site of a bus crash near Tisdale, Saskatchewan, involving the Humboldt Broncos junior hockey team. There is wooded area on the SE corner of the junction. That probably means that vehicles approaching the junction from the S and E cannot see one another. I would say that all it took was for the westbound vehicle to miss the stop sign. ---
**Author:** ![Northern\_Piper](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/northern_piper/32/5304_2.png) [@Northern\_Piper](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Northern_Piper)\ **Post date:** [April 8, 2018, 1:54am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/bus-crash-of-junior-hockey-players-in-saskatchewan-fatalities-confirmed-in-2018/811965/45 "2018-04-08T01:54:49Z")
The packages were apparently bundles of peat moss for a garden centre. That’s why they’ve scattered so much - they’re pretty light-weight. ---
**Author:** ![Riemann](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/riemann/32/3133_2.png) [@Riemann](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Riemann)\ **Post date:** [April 8, 2018, 2:02am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/bus-crash-of-junior-hockey-players-in-saskatchewan-fatalities-confirmed-in-2018/811965/46 "2018-04-08T02:02:24Z")
More footage of the junction here, showing how big the trees are on the SE corner of that junction. https://globalnews.ca/video/embed/4130232/ ---
**Author:** ![Northern\_Piper](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/northern_piper/32/5304_2.png) [@Northern\_Piper](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Northern_Piper)\ **Post date:** [April 8, 2018, 2:04am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/bus-crash-of-junior-hockey-players-in-saskatchewan-fatalities-confirmed-in-2018/811965/47 "2018-04-08T02:04:57Z")
The team bus was north-bound to Nipawin. The semi must have been westbound. ---
**Author:** ![Riemann](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/riemann/32/3133_2.png) [@Riemann](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Riemann)\ **Post date:** [April 8, 2018, 2:12am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/bus-crash-of-junior-hockey-players-in-saskatchewan-fatalities-confirmed-in-2018/811965/48 "2018-04-08T02:12:55Z")
The wreckage is on the NW corner of the junction, with the truck oriented N-S, cab pointing S. That seems consistent with the truck entering the junction headed westbound and being struck in the mid/rear by the bus traveling northbound. The truck gets turned 90 degrees to point south as momentum carries all the wreckage NW. It’s more difficult to envision how the truck could have been the northbound vehicle, based on the wreckage. So it seems likely that for whatever reason the truck ran the stop sign, and was struck amidships by the front of the team bus. The trees on the SE corner meant that neither vehicle could see the other approaching the junction. ---
**Author:** ![Northern\_Piper](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/northern_piper/32/5304_2.png) [@Northern\_Piper](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Northern_Piper)\ **Post date:** [April 8, 2018, 2:18am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/bus-crash-of-junior-hockey-players-in-saskatchewan-fatalities-confirmed-in-2018/811965/49 "2018-04-08T02:18:11Z")
> [@Patx2](#): > > This brought tears to my eyes, a lovely and thoughtful gesture. Here’s a CBC article showing the “Broncos” on both teams. > **[Jets, Blackhawks honour Humboldt Broncos in regular-season finale | CBC Sports](https://www.cbc.ca/sports/hockey/nhl/chicago-blackhawks-winnipeg-jets-1.4609808)** > > Winnipeg Jets and Chicago Blackhawks players wore the word 'BRONCOS' on the back of their game jerseys in place of their own names to honour the victims and survivors of the fatal bus accident Friday involving Saskatchewan's Humboldt Broncos junior... ---
**Author:** ![Northern\_Piper](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/northern_piper/32/5304_2.png) [@Northern\_Piper](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Northern_Piper)\ **Post date:** [April 8, 2018, 2:55am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/bus-crash-of-junior-hockey-players-in-saskatchewan-fatalities-confirmed-in-2018/811965/50 "2018-04-08T02:55:00Z")
Broncos player from Lethbridge on life support to enable organ donation: > **['Doesn't seem real': Hope, heartbreak for families of Albertans on Broncos...](https://calgaryherald.com/news/local-news/southern-alberta-broncos-players-recovering-in-hospital)** > > Alberta’s hockey community was left reeling after 15 people on the Humboldt Broncos team bus died and another 14 were injured in a grisly crash on a… Logan Boulet, 21, originally listed as dead, but apparently still on life support to enable organ donation. ---
**Author:** ![wolfpup](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/wolfpup/32/10618_2.png) [@wolfpup](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/wolfpup)\ **Post date:** [April 8, 2018, 2:56am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/bus-crash-of-junior-hockey-players-in-saskatchewan-fatalities-confirmed-in-2018/811965/51 "2018-04-08T02:56:59Z")
> [@Riemann](#): > > The wreckage is on the NW corner of the junction, with the truck oriented N-S, cab pointing S. That seems consistent with the truck entering the junction headed westbound and being struck in the mid/rear by the bus traveling northbound. The truck gets turned 90 degrees to point south as momentum carries all the wreckage NW. > > It’s more difficult to envision how the truck could have been the northbound vehicle, based on the wreckage. > > So it seems likely that for whatever reason the truck ran the stop sign, and was struck amidships by the front of the team bus. The trees on the SE corner meant that neither vehicle could see the other approaching the junction. As I said earlier, and further confirmed by additional images, the front of the tractor-trailer seems almost completely undamaged, while the midsection of the trailer looks like it’s been rammed and warped by a major impact, and the whole front part of the bus is non-existent. It’s pretty clear that the truck didn’t run into anything, and certainly appears as if the bus hit the trailer as you describe. Whether the truck ran the stop sign or was just slow in moving out, and whether visibility was a factor, are hard to say with the limited information available, but the above appears to be the basics of what happened. For causes and fault we’ll have to wait for the investigation. It doesn’t appear the the truck driver has been charged with anything, but that may just be lack of evidence at this point. ---
**Author:** ![Gorsnak](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/gorsnak/32/7587_2.png) [@Gorsnak](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Gorsnak)\ **Post date:** [April 8, 2018, 3:12am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/bus-crash-of-junior-hockey-players-in-saskatchewan-fatalities-confirmed-in-2018/811965/52 "2018-04-08T03:12:13Z")
Well, the truck clearly failed to yield right of way. There’s absolutely no way the accident happens in the absence of that. There’s basically no way to hit/get hit while crossing a highway when you have a stop sign that doesn’t involve failure to yield right of way. That the truck driver hasn’t been charged with anything is, I would presume, the result of the RCMP not having decided yet whether this is essentially a basic moving violation with tragic consequences vs. criminal negligence causing death. ---
**Author:** ![Riemann](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/riemann/32/3133_2.png) [@Riemann](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Riemann)\ **Post date:** [April 8, 2018, 3:33am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/bus-crash-of-junior-hockey-players-in-saskatchewan-fatalities-confirmed-in-2018/811965/53 "2018-04-08T03:33:10Z")
> [@wolfpup](#): > > …Whether the truck ran the stop sign or was just slow in moving out… I’m not too sure about the relative mass of the two vehicles when the truck had a fairly light payload, but it looks like the wreckage is more W than N of the junction. In the pics here, the cab of the truck lies on 335 westbound: > **[Video: Aerial view of Saskatchewan bus tragedy](https://www.theglobeandmail.com/canada/video-aerial-view-of-saskatchewan-bus-tragedy-2/)** > > Aerial footage shows the site of a bus crash near Tisdale, Saskatchewan, involving the Humboldt Broncos junior hockey team. Presumably the bus was moving northbound at some speed (why would it not be with right of way on a dead straight road), so I don’t think the position of the wreckage is consistent with the truck moving slowly, i.e. pulling away from a standing start. I think the truck must have carried some speed into the junction. ---
**Author:** ![Superdude](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/superdude/32/13450_2.png) [@Superdude](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Superdude)\ **Post date:** [April 8, 2018, 4:03am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/bus-crash-of-junior-hockey-players-in-saskatchewan-fatalities-confirmed-in-2018/811965/54 "2018-04-08T04:03:03Z")
> [@Northern\_Piper](#): > > News article: Saskatoon ER Doctor calls Humboldt Broncos crash triage “most tragic night of my career.” > > • Royal University Hospital got the alert for multiple serious injuries, called a Code Orange. > > • injured started arriving at the hospital around 10 pm > > • organised chaos - staff that didn’t all know each other just organised themselves into teams of two doctors, two nurses, and two therapists, to handle each patient as they came in. > > • hospital had to turn away medical staff who were coming back off-shift to help, because they had too many. > > • parents were telling medical staff to defer giving them updates on their own sons until everyone had been taken care of. > > • people in Saskatoon were volunteering to bring food to the hospital so the staff didn’t need to worry about taking meal breaks. > > • Saskatoon blood donor clinic has been turning away donors, because the clinic is jammed with donors; urging them to re-schedule their visits for next week. > > [ER doctor calls Humboldt Broncos crash triage ‘most tragic night of my career’ | Globalnews.ca](https://globalnews.ca/news/4130047/humboldt-broncos-crash-emergency-room-doctor/) This tragedy sums up the canyon of difference between Canadian and American people perfectly. I’ve worked with mass casualties before, and with triaging the patients and victims of those situations. I’ve never seen anything as selfless by the families as forgoing reports on their own child until everyone else is taken care of. The ones that I personally have witnessed seemed like every parent only gave a shit about their own kids. ---
**Author:** ![Spoons](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/spoons/32/3141_2.png) [@Spoons](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Spoons)\ **Post date:** [April 8, 2018, 4:06am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/bus-crash-of-junior-hockey-players-in-saskatchewan-fatalities-confirmed-in-2018/811965/55 "2018-04-08T04:06:44Z")
A tragedy indeed. Communities and groups and others are pulling together to get faraway parents and friends to the scene–I understand WestJet will be flying a charter of Albertans from Calgary to Saskatoon. Elsewhere, the world of sports is showing their concern. The Blackhawks and Jets both replaced players’ names on their jerseys with the word “Broncos.” There was a moment of silence before the Blue Jays game in Texas, and starting Jays pitcher Marcus Strohman wrote “Humboldt Broncos SK” on his cap. ---
**Author:** ![Riemann](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/riemann/32/3133_2.png) [@Riemann](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Riemann)\ **Post date:** [April 8, 2018, 4:17am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/bus-crash-of-junior-hockey-players-in-saskatchewan-fatalities-confirmed-in-2018/811965/56 "2018-04-08T04:17:55Z")
> [@Superdude](#): > > This tragedy sums up the canyon of difference between Canadian and American people perfectly… It’s certainly true that disasters bring out the best and worst in people, both in hospitals and in comments on messageboards. Do you have any view on how the hypothetical reaction of the British, Russians or Pakistanis might have measured up? ---
**Author:** ![Superdude](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/superdude/32/13450_2.png) [@Superdude](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Superdude)\ **Post date:** [April 8, 2018, 4:51am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/bus-crash-of-junior-hockey-players-in-saskatchewan-fatalities-confirmed-in-2018/811965/57 "2018-04-08T04:51:52Z")
As an American, and an EMT who has spent time on scene at mass casualties, and also at hospitals in the aftermath of said events, I feel uniquely qualified to speak as to my experiences. They are vastly different than the links above. I won’t speak about British or Russian reactions, as they’re immaterial to the thread. If you wish to continue this hijack, open a Pit thread. Otherwise, perhaps you should just returned to the topic at hand, which is not me. ---
**Author:** ![Riemann](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/riemann/32/3133_2.png) [@Riemann](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Riemann)\ **Post date:** [April 8, 2018, 5:03am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/bus-crash-of-junior-hockey-players-in-saskatchewan-fatalities-confirmed-in-2018/811965/58 "2018-04-08T05:03:35Z")
> [@Superdude](#): > > As an American, and an EMT who has spent time on scene at mass casualties, and also at hospitals in the aftermath of said events, I feel uniquely qualified to speak as to my experiences. They are vastly different than the links above. > > I won’t speak about British or Russian reactions, as they’re immaterial to the thread. > > If you wish to continue this hijack, open a Pit thread. Otherwise, perhaps you should just returned to the topic at hand, which is not me. The fact that the hypothetical reactions of other nations is immaterial was obviously my point. Why on earth did _you_ feel it was relevant or appropriate to make some sweeping generalization about how selfish you think _Americans_ are when their children may be injured or dead? It’s not me you should be lecturing about hijacks and opening a Pit thread. ---
**Author:** ![Superdude](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/superdude/32/13450_2.png) [@Superdude](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Superdude)\ **Post date:** [April 8, 2018, 5:10am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/bus-crash-of-junior-hockey-players-in-saskatchewan-fatalities-confirmed-in-2018/811965/59 "2018-04-08T05:10:46Z")
Well, Dad, if you’re done with your lecture, I’m going to continue my existence and perusing. ---
**Author:** ![Broomstick](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/broomstick/32/246_2.png) [@Broomstick](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Broomstick)\ **Post date:** [April 8, 2018, 12:38pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/bus-crash-of-junior-hockey-players-in-saskatchewan-fatalities-confirmed-in-2018/811965/60 "2018-04-08T12:38:48Z")
I noticed that the morning newscasts are no longer saying the truck t-boned the bus, they now saying that the two vehicles collided… which is probably a better way to report the accident before the investigation is done. [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/bus-crash-of-junior-hockey-players-in-saskatchewan-fatalities-confirmed-in-2018/811965.md?page=2) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/bus-crash-of-junior-hockey-players-in-saskatchewan-fatalities-confirmed-in-2018/811965.md?page=4)