UPDATE: Alcohol ruled out as factor in deadly crash near Elrose, Sask.
Troy Gasper, the father of three who was killed in a crash on Saskatchewan’s Highway 4 Friday afternoon, played two seasons with the Humboldt Broncos from 2009 to 2011.
Gasper, 26, his wife Carissa, 28, and their three children aged six, four and two, were killed in a head-on crash between two SUVs on Friday. The Saskatchewan Junior Hockey League (SJHL) tweeted out its condolences for the family at around 10 p.m. on June 30.
This past April, the SJHL’s Humboldt Broncos team bus crashed into a truck on the province’s Highway 35, killing 16 people, many of them young men in their teens and early 20s. On April 7, one day after the tragedy took place, Carissa Gasper posted a photo of herself, her three children and her husband on Facebook with the Humboldt Broncos logo in the lower right corner.
Global News reporter Rebekah Lesko spoke to Garrett Johner, a family friend who worked with Troy, who described his friends wife and kids as a “beautiful young family.”
“They were involved in so many boards, teams, events throughout the community. They were always willing to help out and lend a hand to anyone in the community,” said Johner.
Gasper also played for the Rosetown Redwings, who tweeted their condolences to the “families and friends affected by yesterday’s terrible tragedy” on Friday afternoon.
The driver and lone occupant of the other SUV involved with the crash, a 71-year-old woman, was also killed. Police say she was from the Swift Current, Saskatchewan area.
Police also said the investigation into what occurred will “take time” to complete.
WATCH: Video coverage from Humboldt Broncos bus crash
The crash took place just north of Elrose, Sask., which has a population of approximately 500.
-With files from Rebekah Lesko