Seven prep basketball players killed in accident

My eldest spawn is the only Freshman member of the HS's Varsity Basketball team, THANK YOU, THANK YOU VERY MUCH. I sweat the road trips for this reason.

 

A couple of years ago, a small school won the county's first state football championship. A couple of months later they had a ceremony to hand out the rings.

As I was leaving, word had just reached the high school that one of their classmates had been murdered on local nature trails.

 

May all the victims rest in peace and may their loved ones find peace.

 

A mass funeral for the seven kids was held in the 3000 seat hockey rink Wednesday. Overflow crowd. 6000 or so, diverted to a nearby arena and in the parking lot.
It was broadcast on CBC newsworld. Heartbreaking stuff.
Latest we're hearing is the van, travelling on icy roads, slid off the shoulder of the road, driver overcompensated and was creamed by the tractor trailer. The kids were travelling from Moncton and were five minutes away from their hometown.
Driver survived. Wife on passenger side, survived. Daughter -- travelling with them so she could shop for prom dresses -- survived. Three other boys injured and seven, vibrant, funny kids: 15, 16, 17 years old, were killed instantly.
They're being memorialized as "The Boys In Red" -- the school colours. The Moncton team which played against them in their last game were among the kids attending the funeral. They'll wear the team logo on their own uniform as a memorial for the remainder of this year and next.
It's a town of 12,000. Everybody knows everybody. It's rocked to the core, as you can imagine. Businesses closed in the afternoon so people in town could attend the funeral.
The memorials for the kids on Facebook are so touching, they bring tears to my eyes.

 

Been waiting for you to show up on this thread ... it can be tough covering such a tragedy. You OK?

 

Doing OK. Just like everyone else, I'm thinking of those families and that community and thinking "There but for the grace of God..." Can't count the number of times we've piled into vans with a load of kids for hockey, baseball games.
My heart goes out to that teacher/coach who lost his wife and seven kids he cared about in an instant.

 

Huntsie,
As you probably know, all of Canada is mourning this horrible, horrible tragedy.

And you're right. There but for the grace of God.

Be well.

 

Always here to listen, huntsie ...

 

I do appreciate it friends. Wrote a column that will run in Saturday's paper that was and is good therapy for me. It helps. And thanks for being here.

 

I don't know you, huntsie, but it sounds like I was once in a similar spot to what you are dealing with know, though it was only two young men who died in the case I dealt with. Definitely the toughest time I've ever had in my career. Best of luck.

 

I've written a few obituary columns in my day ... one was too many ... may I have the privilege of reading yours? PM it to me, if you don't mind.