Father of Humboldt Broncos bus crash victim opens up about family's loss

Evan Thomas was one of 10 Humboldt
Broncos killed in the crash, and today his father opened up to CBC News at
their family home in Saskatoon. Here's Susan Ormiston. Tell me about what's on this table.
It's an interesting collection.

His first goal from his SJHL career Scott Thomas wants people to know his son Evan - 18 years old in his
first season with the Broncos. A sense humor, his humility, his passion for life that he had. He would have found a way to make his mark probably something that required a lot of brain power, but he
would have made his mark in some field that what he utilized the
potential he had between his ears. That's for sure.

Evan was smart he loved KD,
baseball and hockey. His name tag from his dressing room. The stick that was left behind -  must not have been his gamer, probably his practice stick. It was left behind we got it from the dressing room.

Last Friday night he was on the Broncos team bus. Scott was in a car 45 minutes behind. We pulled up to the accident site. By the time we got there the fire trucks and the police were there and the bubbles and the
flashing blue lights.

So we get out and Paul Labelle was right behind me, and of
course we go running up and they stopped us it - Can't go any further. And you could
see it was bad. He was with another parent, Paul Labelle. Police officer met us there and said sorry fellas we can't let you go any further, there's been
casualties.

And we're like well yeah but our sons are there we got to go our sons
are on that bus. And he's like 'no sorry we ca't let you go.'  Paul was like well what the hell, what happen here? Like how does this happen? It's a beautiful sunny day the
roads are clear there's no snow. One of the police officer said well semi driver blew right through the stop sign. He said he couldn't see it because the sun was
in his eyes.

And Paul looks over his shoulder and I look over my shoulder and, this is just my opinion, but the sun wasn't in his eyes. Scott could see the
front of the bus obliterated the roof ripped off and he knew from years of
hockey that rookies always sat towards the front. So when we pulled up when I
saw the front of the bus was gone I. Think my head knew right there.

My heart
didn't. Of course you hope and you hope. And you go and you sit in the church and
you hope, and most of the families are there, and all the veterans parents start
getting phone calls we got your boy come to the hospital. You get a little deeper
at the end of the night it's mostly the rookies parents there, and then of course
the police had the conversations with us.

The parents were warned there were so
many injuries they might not recognize their sons, but Scott could. He had a very distinctive birthmark just a little one on his right cheek and I. Remember, clear as day,  in the bathroom back there, just after he started school, and he
comes running in up to the mirror takes his finger he's trying to wipe his
birthmark off, and I'm like buddy what's up with that? And he's like 'dad the kids are kind of bugging me about it' and I said well that's you that makes you who you
are then he never ever brought it up again. But I never thought I'd be using that
birthmark to identify his body.

I'm a chiropractor, and so I had know a little
bit about the human body. So I'm feeling as much as I can with my hands, and felt his head, and we could see that there's some head trauma. I knew right
there that he had skull fractures. As he looked at his son he was reassured that he did not suffer out there that night.

I kissed him, kept telling him that I loved
him,and that's probably all I said to him then. The Thomas house has been
overrun with friends and flowers. Yesterday, Brayden Camrud, one of the
injured players was able to fill Scott in on the last moment in that bus. Brayden remembers just changing songs on his phone or something and looking up and debating whether he should get his suit on and he just happened to put an eye on
Evan, who had just put his tie on and ran his fingers through his hair and
Brayden said everything went black after that.

How do you rationalize what
happened? I've stopped trying. What do you think that Evan would want you to do now?
And your family. Just knowing him, he's be like 'really dad, what are you
making such a big production out of this for?' You know like, this is way too much
of a production, just get on with it already get on with your life. I'm almost
guaranteed that's what he would say.

Susan Ormiston CBC News, Saskatoon.