Broncos parents push road safety improvements after tragedy

The father of the youngest victim in the Humboldt Broncos bus tragedy is pushing for the province to focus on improving highway intersection safety.

Russ Herold lost his 16-year-old son Adam in the April 6 crash that claimed the lives of 16 people and injured 13 others when the Broncos team bus collided with a semi truck at the intersection of Highway 35 and Highway 335.

He tweeted at Premier Scott Moe Thursday morning to demand action on reducing risk at similar crossings.

“Please consider fixing all the dangerous intersections in the province over patching holes, make that a priority,” Herold wrote, tagging Moe.

“Intersections such as the one involving the Humboldt bus would never exist on the Trans Canada so why do they exist in the rest of Sask. Reconsider.”

@PremierScottMoe please consider fixing all the dangerous intersections in the province over patching holes, make that a priority. Intersections such as the one involving the Humboldt bus would never exist on the Trans Canada so why do they exist in the rest of Sask. Reconsider.

— Russ Herold (@RussHerold12) April 26, 2018

The grieving father spoke to Gormley Friday morning and said the intersection where he lost his son is known as a dangerous corner.

He said the government should look at improving visibility by cutting back a stand of trees which may have blocked the view of the drivers involved in the tragedy.

“Maybe they could have been trimmed a bit on an angle right at the corner just to give that one second more,” he said.

“A glimpse of a reflection could have made a difference.”

Herold also questioned whether suggestions of additional signage leading up to intersections would change anything.

“If you’re not attentive or obeying the speed limits, having more signs is not going to prevent that accident,” he said.

Victim’s mother had property’s trees cut down before

Another parent devastated by the Broncos crash called into Gormley moments after to provide her own perspective on intersection safety.

Carol Brons said the province was concerned about trees on her family’s property blocking the view at another highway intersection. She said the government bought a sliver of the land, and pared down the trees to improve visibility.

“We were allowed to farm but we could never put anymore trees in the area or buildings in that sight line,” she said.

Brons’ daughter Dayna, 24, succumbed to her injuries days after the April 6 crash. The athletic trainer was the only woman on the Broncos bus.

Speaking on Gormley marked the first time a member of the Brons family has spoken publicly about their experience. Brons said the last three weeks have been difficult.

“I haven’t let my brain and my heart go to where it needs to go yet,” the mother said.

“Because I don’t know if I’ll crawl out of that for a long time.”

She said the family has been overwhelmed by the world’s support in the wake of the tragedy, calling the last few weeks “surreal.”

Brons noted she never wants to blame anyone for the crash. She added the incident has made her more aware on the road.

“I’ve been very cognizant myself to try and be aware of stop signs and traffic coming from different areas,” she said.

More than anything, she said the family misses Dayna’s presence.

“We miss our daughter dearly, and we will for the rest of our lives.”