The parents of Adam Herold, one of the players killed in the Humboldt Broncos bus crash, are suing the semi-truck driver, the trucking company and the bus manufacturer.
The lawsuit was filed on Monday at Regina’s Court of Queen’s Bench. It alleges the semi driver, Jaskirat Singh Sidhu, was negligent and not properly trained to be driving a semi-truck on Saskatchewan highways.
Sidhu, 29, was arrested in his Calgary home on Friday. He is facing 16 counts of dangerous operation of a motor vehicle causing death and 13 counts of dangerous operation of a motor vehicle causing bodily harm.
He made his first court appearance in Melfort Provincial Court on Tuesday morning. He was released on a number of conditions and will be back in court in August.
The lawsuit states Sidhu did not have sufficient training and alleges he had only been working for the trucking company for two weeks prior to the April 6 crash. It also alleges it was his first time driving the route he was on when the crash occurred, and that he failed to stop at the stop sign at the intersection of Highway 335 and Highway 35.
The truck was travelling westbound on Highway 335, approaching Highway 35 at an intersection known as Armley Corner. According to the lawsuit, the sightlines at the intersection are “not in accordance with the guidelines or rules and regulations established by the Government of Saskatchewan” due to trees at the intersection. Vehicles on Highway 35 have the right of way over vehicles on Highway 335 and there are flashing lights and a stop sign on Highway 335.
Adesh Deol Trucking Ltd., the company Sidhu worked for, is also listed as a defendant in the lawsuit. According to the lawsuit, the company didn’t provide adequate driver training for Sidhu.
The lawsuit says Sidhu wasn’t following Saskatchewan laws when he entered the intersection.
“The results of his conduct were catastrophic,” the lawsuit says.
The third defendant in the case is the bus manufacturer. According to the lawsuit filed on Monday, the bus didn’t have seatbelts or other measures to minimize the impacts of a crash. The suit says the roof came off the top of the bus at the time of the collision.
The lawsuit was filed by Adam’s parents, Russell and Raelene Herold. Adam, 16, was the youngest player on the team and had only played eight games before the crash. In the suit, Adam’s parents say they suffered “extreme physical and emotional pain and suffering that has caused them to lose significant enjoyment of life” since their son’s death.
“Adam would have played in the National Hockey League,” the suit says. “Adam had the potential to earn approximately $20-$30 million over the course of his NHL hockey career.”
The suit goes on to say he would have taken over his family’s farm in Montmartre.
The plaintiffs are calling for all coach buses carrying sports teams in the province to be equipped with seatbelts. The suit is also asking for semi drivers to have to pass strict safety tests before they are allowed to drive on Saskatchewan highways.
Sixteen people, including 10 players, were killed in the crash. Thirteen others were injured.
