REGINA -- The province of Saskatchewan will have to wait until at least January to learn if it will be struck from a lawsuit filed by families of five of the victims from the 2018 Humboldt Broncos bush crash.

The five families are suing the province for ignoring past warnings about the intersection of highways 33 and 335, where the bus crash that took the lives of 16 people and injured 13 others took place.

The province is looking to be removed from the lawsuit because of its no-fault insurance.

In Court of Queen’s Bench on Wednesday, a lawyer representing a different class action lawsuit involving other families affected by the crash asked for the Saskatchewan government case to be adjourned so they could prepare an argument. They said the outcome of that case could affect theirs.

Justice Donald Layh agreed to the adjournment, but he said he did not want it to be a long adjournment

The lawyers representing both the province and the five families were both ready to proceed on Wednesday.

“My clients are anxious to get this part of their live behind them,” Kevin Mellor, one of the lawyers representing the families, said. “They want to make sure that the people responsible are held accountable, and they do think the government of Saskatchewan is responsible.”

The hearing has been adjourned until Jan. 7.