The third court appearance for the driver of a semi charged in the fatal Humboldt Broncos bus crash that left 16 people dead and 13 others injured, has been adjourned.
Jaskirat Sidhu, 29, was charged with 16 counts of dangerous driving causing death exactly three months after the April 6 crash in eastern Saskatchewan as the team was heading to Nipawin for a playoff game.
He is also charged with 13 counts of dangerous driving causing bodily harm.
FULL COVERAGE: Humboldt Broncos tragedy
In a brief appearance Tuesday morning in Melfort provincial court, Sidhu’s lawyer Satnam Aujla asked for more time “to review the particulars of the case,” which he called complex.
His next appearance is scheduled for Oct. 23, when Sidhu is expected to elect how he wants to be tried.
He can opt for the matter to be heard in provincial court going forward, or elect for it to go to a higher court, in which case a preliminary inquiry would be held to determine if there is enough evidence for it to go to trial.
If he elects to go to a higher court, Sidhu can choose whether the matter would be heard by a judge alone, or by a judge and jury.
WATCH BELOW: Semi driver charged in Humboldt Broncos bus crash appears in court
Dangerous driving causing death carries a maximum sentence of 14 years, while dangerous driving causing bodily harm has a maximum sentence of 10 years.
Sindu made his first court appearance on July 10 and was released on $1,000 bail with a number of conditions. He must reside at his Calgary home, follow a curfew, is under a driving ban, and must surrender his passport.
His lawyer appeared by phone on Aug. 21 for his second appearance and asked for more time to review the file after receiving more detailed particulars in the case.
RCMP have said little about why charges were laid, but have stated the semi was in the intersection at the time of the crash.
WATCH BELOW: RCMP explain charges laid against Jaskirat Sidhu
Sidhu, who was not injured in the crash, was briefly detained by police but released soon afterwards.
He was driving for Adesh Deol trucking company, and the director of the trucking company, Sukmander Singh, said in April that Sidhu had started working for him about a month before the crash.
Singh told Global News at the time that the driver had obtained his license about a year earlier and had been on the road for two weeks, after undergoing two weeks of training.
The fatal crash rocked the hockey community in Canada and a worldwide fundraiser for the team raised millions of dollars in just days.
— With files from Ryan Kessler, Adam MacVicar, Nancy Hixt and Rebecca Joseph
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