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What we know about Jaskirat Singh Sidhu, the driver charged in Humboldt Broncos crash


Charges have been laid in the deadly bus crash involving the Humboldt Broncos junior hockey team.

In a Friday news conference at 3 p.m. ET, RCMP officers revealed Jaskirat Singh Sidhu was arrested at his home in Calgary. The 29-year-old driver of a transport truck that collided with a bus carrying the hockey team was charged with 16 counts of dangerous operation of a motor vehicle causing death and 13 counts of dangerous operation of a motor vehicle causing bodily injury.

That’s a total of 29 charges for the 29-year-old man. Sidhu is scheduled to make a court appearance next week in Saskatchewan.

Sixteen people, including 10 Broncos hockey players, were killed and 13 others were injured in the collision that took place near Tisdale, Sask., on April 6.

The fatal incident made headlines worldwide and spurred a GoFundMe campaign that was the most successful in Canadian history. More than $15 million was raised from donors that contributed online from around the world.

Not much is known about the driver, other than he was driving for Adesh Deol Trucking Ltd. at the time of the crash. The company’s owner, Sukhmander Singh, told the Calgary Herald that the driver was a “good guy” who had only driven for the company for about a month.

“I don’t know what’s wrong over there, why this went wrong for this guy,” Singh told the Herald just days after the incident. According to CBC News, Sidhu was briefly detained at the time of the crash before being released and he was not physically injured.

Police said the driver was given mental health and wellness assistance, the Herald reported. The publication also revealed Sidhu took advantage of counselling services made available to him, according to Singh.

Singh said he went to pick up Sidhu in Saskatoon and drove him back to Calgary following the incident, according to the Herald. The truck company owner added the only other truck in his fleet was ordered to stay off the road by Alberta Transportation.

It was reported by CBC News that the bus carrying the hockey team had the right of way when it collided with the truck driven by Sidhu. However, the Herald noted there may be limited visibility at the intersection due to trees in the area.

With files from The Canadian Press

The 29-year-old driver of a transport truck that collided with a bus carrying the Humboldt Broncos junior hockey team is facing 29 criminal charges. This image shows the wreckage following the fatal collision outside of Tisdale, Sask., on April, 7, 2018. Photo from The Canadian Press.
The 29-year-old driver of a transport truck that collided with a bus carrying the Humboldt Broncos junior hockey team is facing 29 criminal charges. This image shows the wreckage following the fatal collision outside of Tisdale, Sask., on April, 7, 2018. Photo from The Canadian Press.