Close X
Wednesday, November 27, 2024
ADVT 
National

Humboldt marks five years since deadly bus crash

Darpan News Desk The Canadian Press, 06 Apr, 2023 10:06 AM
  • Humboldt marks five years since deadly bus crash

HUMBOLDT, SASKATCHEWAN - Church bells are to ring today in Humboldt at the same time as the deadly bus crash brought unimaginable tragedy to the small Saskatchewan city five years ago.

The bells at St. Augustine Church are to toll 29 times — one for each person who was on the bus carrying the Humboldt Broncos on April 6, 2018. Sixteen people died and 13 were injured after a transport truck went through a stop sign and into the path of a bus carrying the Saskatchewan junior hockey team.

Celeste Leray-Leicht, who is part of the planning committee, said she feels better any time she can honour her son. Jacob Leicht was 19 years old when he was killed in the crash.

“He's part of everything we say and do and guiding us along the way," Leray-Leicht said.

For the anniversary, the city and members of the Broncos families have organized a tribute service at the Elgar Petersen Arena for people who wish to pay their respects. The rink is the home of the Broncos and is filled with mementoes, banners and photos.

The tribute will include videos and photos that families of the Broncos have contributed over the years.

Mayor Michael Behiel has proclaimed it “2017-18 Humboldt Broncos Day” and encouraged people to take a moment of silence as the bells echo around 4:50 p.m., the approximate time the crash occurred five years ago.

Organizers and the community didn't want the tribute to feel like another funeral, but they also wanted to honour those affected, Leray-Leicht said.

It is a difficult day for families and surviving players, she said. Many take the time to be at home with their loved ones and want privacy.

“Especially this week, I still feel this weight in my chest of sadness,” she said.

Leray-Leicht said over the years, she has been learning to navigate trauma and immense grief. There is guilt about not doing enough to honour her son and the others on the bus. There’s anger over what happened and things she cannot control.

There’s also levity, Leray-Leicht said, especially from the students at the school where she is a vice-principal. The students’ honesty and innocence have been especially helpful, Leray-Leicht said, even if they didn’t know they were helping.

The continued support from people in Humboldt has also been important.

"My community is my extended family,” she said. "I am only as strong as the people who are lifting me up."

Those affected by the crash have also become family, she added, but most don’t live in Humboldt. The handful who do are extremely close, Leray-Leicht said, and work together in different ways to honour their children.

"There's healing in that, too," she said.

The planning committee for the tribute included Carol Brons, whose 24-year-old daughter, Dayna Brons, was the team's athletic therapist, and Marilyn Hay, whose 29-year-old son, Tyler Bieber, was the team’s play-by-play announcer. They were both killed in the crash.

Chris Beaudry is also on the committee. He was the Humboldt Broncos assistant coach, who was not on the bus but was travelling in a vehicle behind it and was one of the first people on the scene of the crash.

Leray-Leicht said they are “deeply touched and honoured” that people continue to want to pay tribute to the Humboldt Broncos.

Her son was funny, played pranks and had a dry sense of humour. He was a gritty kid who worked hard, she said, and he was a wonderful son. Jacob Leicht was so much more than his death, she added.

The way the country and world reached out after the Broncos tragedy shows how empathetic and understanding people can be, she added. And the best way to honour the team is for people to bring that kindness to their everyday lives, she said.

“The way to honour them is to put your best foot forward every single day.”

MORE National ARTICLES

Surrey morning crash results in road closures in the area of 152nd St

Surrey morning crash results in road closures in the area of 152nd St
Due to the location of the collision and the subsequent downed power line, 64th avenue is closed from 152nd street to 146th street. 148th street is closed from 68th avenue to 62nd avenue. Motorists are asked to avoid the area and find a different route for their morning commute.  

Surrey morning crash results in road closures in the area of 152nd St

Funeral next week for slain Edmonton officers

Funeral next week for slain Edmonton officers
Police say a regimental funeral has been scheduled for two Edmonton officers who were shot and killed in the line of duty last week. The funeral for Travis Jordan, who was 35, and Brett Ryan, 30, is to be held March 27 at Rogers Place, the home arena for the Edmonton Oilers of the National Hockey League.

Funeral next week for slain Edmonton officers

B.C. doctor faces second sex assault charge

B.C. doctor faces second sex assault charge
Police in Delta, B.C., say Dr. Olumuyiwa Bamgbade, who operated a pain clinic in that community before relocating it to neighbouring Surrey, faces another charge of sexual assault over an alleged incident in 2019.

B.C. doctor faces second sex assault charge

Nexus traveller program to resume by April 24

Nexus traveller program to resume by April 24
The Canada Border Services Agency says enrolment centres will reopen for applicant sit-downs at the Halifax and Winnipeg airports on March 27, followed by a staggered reopening at the six other airports where customs preclearance is an option, including the final two in Toronto and Ottawa on April 24.

Nexus traveller program to resume by April 24

Two staff members stabbed at Halifax high school

Two staff members stabbed at Halifax high school
Police said they responded to a weapons complaint at around 9:20 a.m., and a suspect was taken into custody about 10 minutes later at Charles P. Allen High School in the suburb of Bedford. A teacher at the school said it appears a male student was in the school's front office with a vice-principal when the student suddenly became violent.

Two staff members stabbed at Halifax high school

Strike halts bus service in B.C.'s Fraser Valley

Strike halts bus service in B.C.'s Fraser Valley
The union says its members, who work for a company that contracts service to BC Transit, have no pension and make 32 per cent less than bus drivers and other staff elsewhere in Metro Vancouver's transit system.

Strike halts bus service in B.C.'s Fraser Valley