Scott Thompson: Should the Humboldt truck driver take all the blame?

Next week, we will be reminded of the day when a horrific crash that ravaged the small town of Humboldt, Sask., brought our country to its knees.

April 6 will mark one year since the Humboldt Broncos hockey team bus crash that killed 16 people and forever changed the lives of 13 others.

Tragic memories last a lifetime, but some positive news came this week with the legal side of this nightmare winding down, allowing those personally linked to it to move on without their loved ones.

Recently, the country was again fixated on the case when truck driver Jaskirat Singh Sidhu was sentenced to eight years in jail and eventual deportation to his home country of India.

Many across Canada debated what the correct sentence for the driver should be, even though none of it could turn back time.

This week, another step forward came when the trucking company owner, Sukhmander Singh of Adesh Deol Trucking, pleaded guilty for his role in the tragedy.

Charged with five offences, none of them criminal, the owner admitted he didn’t follow provincial and federal regulations in the months leading up to the crash. Singh’s offences included failing to ensure his drivers complied with safety regulations, not having a safety program and log book violations.

The truck’s driver had been on the job for three weeks at the time of the crash. He had been with another driver training for the first two weeks.

He was solo in his third week when he was distracted by one of the two trailers’ tarps and blew an intersection stop sign, causing the crash.

From this split-second distraction, lives have been permanently altered, and many have paid the ultimate price.

The truck company owner was fined $5,000 for his part.

Many think he should be in a cell next to the driver.

Sticks out for Humboldt!

Scott Thompson is the host of The Scott Thompson Show on Global News Radio 900 CHML​.