A fatality inquiry into the death of two teens at Canada Olympic Park two years ago got underway in a Calgary courtroom on Monday.
Jordan and Evan Caldwell were killed in February of 2016 after a group of youth entered the sliding track at the facility and crashed into a gate that separated the bobsleigh and luge tracks.
Police say the eight boys climbed a locked fence and went down the track on three plastic sleds.
The 17-year-old twins were both hill ambassadors at WinSport and the Medical Examiner determined that they both died from blunt force trauma.
Drugs and alcohol were not involved and no charges were laid.
The inquiry will take an in-depth look at what happened and make recommendations to prevent future incidents.
WinSport issued a statement on April 7, 2018 saying that it understands the importance of the inquiry…
We understand the importance of the inquiry and are committed to doing everything we can to make the process as effective as possible. Safety has and will always be a top priority at WinSport. Following the tragic after-hours incident on February 6, 2016, WinSport conducted an internal review and as a result, added to the existing security measures that were in place at the time of the incident. The details of these additional security measures will be reviewed during the inquiry. We will fully participate in the inquiry and will await the outcome of the inquiry and any recommendations made by the court. We want to offer our thoughts and support to the families affected by the 2016 tragedy, as we know the week will be a challenging time for them.
Jason Caldwell was in court on Monday and said that he and his wife, Shauna, support the inquiry and that it is an opportunity to put safe guards in place.
He read a statement on behalf of the families involved in the February 6, 2016 incident saying…
“It will be difficult to relive the events of that fateful night. But for the sake of future families with teenagers like our own, and the enormous value we place on life, we support the Public Fatality Inquiry’s objective.
In spite of the grief and pain we have gone through, we remain a close group of supportive friends, bound together by our Christian faith and love for one another.
We pray that the Public Fatality Inquiry’s objective will be successful so that no family will have to experience similar tragedy and loss at the WinSport facility.”
He also thanked the inquiry and all the emergency responders who helped his boys and the other young people who were injured that day.
Eleven witnesses will testify at the inquiry, which will last the week.
