The family of Logan Boulet presented the first of 75 victim impact statements submitted for the sentencing of the truck driver in the fatal Humboldt Broncos bus crash.

Jaskirat Sidhu pleaded guilty to 16 counts of dangerous driving causing death and 13 counts of dangerous driving causing bodily harm on Jan. 8.

Agreed statement of facts

His sentencing hearing began on Monday morning at Melfort Provincial Court. In an agreed statement of facts, court heard Sidhu was travelling between 86 and 96 kilometres an hour when the crash occurred. He didn’t stop, since there were no skid marks from braking on the highway.

“The actions of Mr. Sidhu while operating the semi-tractor unit caused the collision,” the statement said.

The statement also said no environmental conditions, like ice or sun glare, contributed to the crash.

Sidhu’s truck was travelling westbound on Highway 335 and had a stop sign. The bus was travelling northbound. The statement said the truck was completely in the intersection and the bus t-boned the semi.

“There was no way that Glen Doerksen, the bus driver, could have avoided the collision,” the statement said.

Court heard alcohol and drugs were not a factor and Sidhu wasn’t believed to be distracted at the time of the crash.

The hearing outlined the injuries of the people who were on the bus. Sixteen people were killed and 13 others were injured. Two survivors are paralyzed and one remains in hospital.

Court received 75 victim impact statements; 65 of them will be read during the hearing.

Logan Boulet’s family begins victim impact statements

Boulet’s family was the first to present to court.

“I am constantly surrounded by reminders of Logan,” said his mother, Bernadine. “It’s the little things that I don’t expect to stop me in my tracks, but they do.”

Boulet’s father, Toby, added he wished he didn’t have to write the statement.

“I just want to hold my boy. I ache everywhere. I just want Logan to come home,” he said.

Boulet was alive for about 19 hours after the crash, court heard. He donated his organs to six people across Canada, sparking a drive for nearly 100,000 people to sign their organ donor cards after his death.

Conner Lukan’s mother has ‘no forgiveness’

In her statement, Conner Lukan’s mother Robin described her son as a beautiful boy who lived for hockey. She told Sidhu her son’s death has taken an immense emotional toll on her and her family.

“I have no forgiveness,” she said. “I want you to know who Conner was and how much he is missed. You have forever destroyed the family I worked my entire life to create.”

She also told Sidhu she wanted him to see the pain he has caused through her statement and others.

Families, survivors continue to deal with aftermath of crash

Melissa Doerksen, daughter of bus driver Glen Doersken who died in the crash, said friends and family meant the world to her father. She said she feels constant sadness, loneliness and emptiness that at times feels “unbearable.”

Nick Shumlanksi’s sister said that although her brother walked away with just minor injuries, his mental health was severely affected by the crash. Her parents were some of the first to respond, she added, and said her family relives “the phone calls, the tears, the screams” whenever they drive past the intersection.

The mother of statistician Brody Hinz said her emotions have been all over the place since the crash. In a written statement to court, she said she’s found it hard to go out in public since her son died.

Mark Dahlgren’s son Kaleb survived the crash. Mark said it was important for him to be in Melfort on Monday to support the other families, which are now all “bound for life.”

Marilyn Cross, mother of the Broncos’ late assistant coach Mark Cross, expressed to court how much she misses her son.

“Mark, if people knew how much I missed you, they’d wonder how I’m still breathing,” she said. “I’m so angry that I could not have protected and saved him.”

Marilyn thanked Sidhu for his guilty plea, and said she also grieves for the guilt he has to live with.

Scott Thomas said though nearly 10 months have passed since the crash, the fact that his son Thomas is gone doesn’t feel real. He read his victim impact statement in the form of a letter to his late son, saying he and his wife are selling their house and moving.

“We can’t stay there anymore,” he said. “You are everywhere.”

‘All you had to do was stop’

Ryan Straschnitzki will never walk again after the events of April 6. His mother Michelle said her son has near-perfect memories of the crash and the “ensuing carnage.” In her statement, she said she’s now full of anxiety for Ryan and her other children.

Michelle told court she has empathy for Sidhu and his family, but said the crash wasn’t an accident and shouldn’t have happened.

“We are broken now and it’s not over for us,” her statement said.

“All you had to do was stop,” Ryan’s father Tom added.

The sentencing is scheduled to last until Friday.

CTV’s Ashley Field, Saron Fanel and Jill Machyshon are at the sentencing.