234943
234256
Canada  

Mistaken identity mix-up

UPDATE 8:30 a.m.

A spokesman for Saskatchewan's Ministry of Justice says authorities mixed up the identities of one of the deceased and one of the survivors in the Humboldt Broncos crash, partly because the players all had blond dyed hair and similar builds.

Drew Wilby says the coroner's office mistook the body of 18-year-old goalie Parker Tobin for that of Xavier Labelle.

Labelle is injured but alive, and Tobin is among the 15 people who died when the bus carrying the junior hockey team collided with a semi truck in northeastern Saskatchewan on Friday.

Wilby says dental records are the best way to identify deceased but those can take days to track down, especially given the hockey players were from all over western Canada.

He says the coroner's office was following a standard procedure to identify the victims but it was difficult since the players had all dyed their hair blond for the playoff run, were all around the same age and had the same athletic build.

Wilby says the mistake is unprecedented in Saskatchewan's history and the families affected have been very understanding.


ORIGINAL 6:44 a.m.

Saskatchewan's Ministry of Justice says one of the deceased in Friday's fatal crash involving the Humboldt Broncos bus was misidentified.

The ministry says the body of Parker Tobin was mistaken for that of Xavier Labelle.

It says Labelle is injured but alive, and Tobin is among the 15 people who died.

The Office of the Chief Coroner has apologized for the misidentification.

More coming.



More Canada News