The investigation is continuing into the cause of the accident involving the Humboldt Broncos on April 6th. The collision tragically killing sixteen passengers on the bus, many of whom were players on the Junior A hockey team, along with the team staff and the driver of the bus. The 13 other passengers on the bus were injured in the collision.

At a press conference in Regina Thursday morning, Assistant Commissioner Curtis Zablocki, the commanding officer of the Saskatchewan RCMP, said while the investigation is continuing, there are some facts which can be related to the public.

“The tractor-trailer unit was in the intersection at the time of the collision, and I can assure that all of our efforts are dedicated to determining why the tractor-trailer was in the intersection,” Zablocki said at the conference.

It was also announced the engine control modules for both vehicles have been recovered and sent to California for further analysis. The modules operate in a fashion similar to flight data recorders, or black boxes, and are used to determine what was happening with a vehicle prior to the collision, including speed, whether brakes were applied, RPM’s of the engine, and more. Documentation was also recovered at the scene of the accident, including log books, which are also being analyzed at this time.

The intersection of Highways 35 and 335, where the accident occurred, was closed off Thursday to allow for more reconstruction of the scene to occur. Zablocki explained the process includes positioning similar vehicles in the intersection to determine sight lines and other analytical aspects.

No charges were announced at the press conference Thursday morning. Zablocki stated the investigation remains in the evidence recovery and collection stage.