Manitoba crash investigators lean on lessons from Humboldt Broncos tragedy | CBC News

Manitoba RCMP are turning to their Saskatchewan counterparts for help in investigating a mass casualty crash in western Manitoba that’s drawing comparisons to the Humboldt Broncos tragedy in 2018.

“This incident does have echoes of the tragic collision that happened in Humboldt, Sask. And we are very much aware of that,” said Manitoba RCMP Supt. Rob Lasson at a news conference Thursday.

A crash between a semi-trailer and a bus killed 15 people near Carberry, Man., Thursday. The bus, which was carrying 25 people, mostly seniors, was heading to Sand Hills Casino, approximately 20 kilometres away.

Lasson said Manitoba RCMP are in touch with some of the primary Saskatchewan investigators in the Humboldt crash.

“We’re leaning on RCMP in Saskatchewan who have unfortunately been through this before,” he said at the conference.

Sixteen people were killed and 13 were injured in April 2018 when a bus carrying the Humboldt Broncos junior hockey team to a playoff game collided with a semi-trailer on a rural Saskatchewan highway.

The Saskatchewan coroner’s office initially used photos and information from the team to match the bodies with names, but when an injured player woke up in the hospital and said he wasn’t the player everyone thought he was, officials realized they made a mistake.

By that time, his name was already in a news release from the coroner’s office and the RCMP.

“We have to make sure that we have accurate IDs before we give next of kin notification. So, that’s why it’s taking a bit of time. We don’t want to make that mistake,” Lasson said at the conference.

What investigators will be looking for at the scene of the Manitoba crash

Former RCMP collision analyst Rob Creasser describes how he would approach the investigation of a major highway accident and the questions he would have.

“We need to get everything right. It’s critical.”

As of Thursday night, no family members of the deceased had been notified, Lasson later said in an interview with CBC News. Investigators are working closely with the medical examiner’s office, he added.

Support for families, first responders needed

Tracy Muggli, who was one of the first crisis workers on the scene in Humboldt after the crash, spoke to CBC on Thursday afternoon.

“The very first thing I thought about was the Humboldt tragedy,” said Muggli, the former director of mental health and addiction services for the Saskatoon Health Region.

“I immediately thought, ‘Oh my gosh, you know, who’s involved? What happened? Who’s going to need support, and how is the community going to be able to manage this in the coming days? How are all the health-care providers going to respond?'” she said.

Part of that support, Muggli said, is making sure families have the latest information.

“People really felt like they needed information, and so even having the right kind of people available to transfer information back and forth and that includes in the health-care facilities,” she said.

Authorities also have to make sure supports are in place for the long haul, since impacts on people’s mental health can show up long after a traumatic event takes place, Muggli added.

“Create a plan that will keep you active for longer than you think you might need to,” she said. “You really have to to think about, ‘OK, who’s all been impacted here and how can we support those people.'”

Those impacted will also likely include emergency responders, Muggli said.

“They might be, you know, good to go for a day or two, but when there’s suddenly time to decompress, that can be a very difficult time because you start to reflect on what you saw and what you heard and the experience you had.”

But it’s also important to remember that everyone responds to a tragedy differently, Muggli said.

“Everyone is as impacted as they need to be, and that’s OK.”