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The regular season hadn’t even started, but Brooklyn Anderson was already planning which of her brother’s hockey games she could attend this fall.
Her mother Brandee Anderson said she had become “such a big fan.” She even went to watch tryouts and debated with her mom about who the team should pick and who should be cut.
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“Maybe the coaches wouldn’t agree with us, but we had our choices,” Anderson recalled.
Brooklyn’s plans to be in the stands ended Saturday, when the 16-year-old girl from Shellbrook died in a collision near Hepburn. Anderson was in the the SUV with her daughter when it happened.
A Blaine Lake man has since been charged with impaired driving causing death.
“I really, truly hope that he gets the book thrown at him hard,” Anderson said.
Anderson said she and Brooklyn were travelling on Highway 12 when she saw a truck coming toward them.
“He came out of nowhere,” she said. “And he barreled right into us.”
Anderson said she remembers the impact and the SUV spinning before it came to rest in a ditch. She said she got out, found a phone and called 9-1-1 while yelling for help and for Brooklyn.
“It was horrifying,” she said.
The RCMP said Brooklyn, who was driving, was pronounced dead at the scene. Anderson and the truck’s driver were taken to hospital with injuries described as non-life-threatening.
Riley Farthing, 22, of Blaine Lake appeared in Saskatoon Provincial Court on Monday. Rosthern RCMP officers continue to investigate the crash, with the help of a police collision reconstruction expert.
Anderson described her daughter as responsible and “rarely still.” Brooklyn got herself up for school, sometimes worked afterward and spent time with a close group of friends. She played volleyball and loved softball.
An injury kept her out of softball for a time, so when Brooklyn made a team in Prince Albert, she didn’t care which team it was, Anderson said, explaining that she was just happy to play. Even after the season ended, Brooklyn went to extra practices through July and wanted her coaches to know she hoped to be back next year.
“She wanted to make sure she was playing,” Anderson said.
Tributes and support have been pouring in for Brooklyn and her family. A GoFundMe page was created to raise money so they can have the time to grieve, recover and heal.
The U18 AA Parkland Elks hockey team plans to honour Brooklyn at their game on Friday. Anderson said her daughter had friends on the team, and had plans to go to the final tryouts on Sunday to see who made the roster. Two of those friends will now be among her pallbearers.
The team posted on it’s social media page about the love, generosity and support the community has shown. The team plans to give proceeds from its 50/50 to the Brooklyn Anderson Fund, and the pot is already guaranteed at $3,500 thanks to local businesses and donors.
“This community has shown us once again just how incredible it truly is,” the team’s post read. “One team. One community. One family. This one’s for Brookie.”
Anderson said she’s grateful for the support, and hopes people will continue to keep them in their minds.
“Keep coming by after this funeral,” she said. “I think that’s when it’s going to get pretty scary and quiet.”
Anderson said she wishes people who never met Brooklyn could have known her daughter.
“She was a joy. She was amazing. I wish everybody could understand that,” Anderson said. “She certainly had a light about her.”
A celebration of life for Brooklyn will be held at 2 p.m. on Friday at Shellbrook Community Hall. Memorial donations can be made in memory of Brooklyn to the Prince Albert SPCA.
