‘It’s going to take time to heal these wounds’

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This article was published 04/04/2023 (1157 days ago), so information in it may no longer be current.

GILBERT PLAINS — Morgan Chubey will never forget the screams.

The 28-year-old woman and her boyfriend were out for a drive the night of March 29 near Gilbert Plains, when they came upon the immediate aftermath of a car wreck that killed four teenagers, left another seriously injured, and rocked a pair of Manitoba communities.

Pulling over, as community members tried to assist at the scene, Chubey’s boyfriend recognized the voice of his friend’s daughter calling for help from inside the wreckage.

“The way she was screaming — that was horrible — that was the worst thing,” Chubey said, speaking near the accident site Monday.

“The way the car looked was really, really weird, the whole driver’s side and undercarriage was wrapped up. It was rolled like a burrito.”

Dauphin RCMP said four teenagers died and one survived after a car missed a stop sign at Provincial Road 274 and Highway 5 and struck the side of a semi-trailer heading eastbound.

Christopher Swintak, 18, Riley Robak, 17, and Le Rouxan Niemann, 17, died at the scene. Alexandra Watt, 18, was pronounced dead in hospital.

Hanna Yurkiw, 15, is recovering in hospital.

RCMP said the truck’s driver, a 30-year-old man from Saskatoon, was not physically injured in the collision.

Chubey described a frantic drive to Dauphin, as the couple, unable to reach Hanna’s parents by phone, sought to alert them of the crash.

“Nobody was answering the phone and I know the house well, so I went to the patio door and started banging and banging… (Hanna’s mom Tanya) opened the door and I told her… she damn near dropped to the floor in tears already. Darcy (Hanna’s dad) was in shock,” she said.

Hanna’s parents drove the roughly 30 kilometres west to Gilbert Plains. Darcy went to the crushed car to comfort his daughter, who was trapped inside.

Chubey and her boyfriend arrived shortly after to find first responders had closed a section of the highway. They spoke to a firefighter at the scene. He broke down in tears.

“We knew it was bad,” she said.

Hanna is recovering at the Children’s Hospital in Winnipeg, Darcy Yurkiw said Monday.

The teen has lacerations on her spleen, liver and kidney, a fractured elbow and seven broken ribs. She underwent surgery on her leg last week.

“Overall, she is in good spirits,” he said. “It’s going to be really rough emotionally for her, but she has a great support system here for her.”

After delaying the news until she was a little stronger, the couple told Hanna what had happened to her four friends. “She asked questions and wanted her phone, so we decided to tell her before she found out on social media. She knows that she is the only survivor.”

It was an emotional conversation, Yurkiw said.

“She cried, of course, and her first question was ‘Why didn’t I die, too?’” he said. “We told her it was because she had too many angels watching over her that night.”

Hanna found comfort in watching a video on her phone of Swintak, who was her good friend, Yurkiw said.

“She laughed, she cried, and said she will never forget him. She talked about Riley, as well, saying he was such a good person and would do anything for anyone.”

While Hanna had only recently met Watt, “she said that she connected with her so easily. She said she was such a wonderful person. She spoke of Lenny, but didn’t know him very well.”

Le Rouxan’s mother, Jolien Lochner Niemann, declined an interview with the Free Press last week, saying she and her family are “too devastated.”

“But he was one awesome, amazing kid who made such a huge positive impact in so many people’s lives in his short life,” she wrote in a message. “It’s really a very big loss for our family, but it is easy to remember all the good he did because he never caused problems but only solutions.”

The Niemann family, originally from South Africa, had moved to Gilbert Plains from Medicine Lake, Mont., in April 2022.

Swintak was a Grade 12 student at Dauphin Regional Comprehensive Secondary School. He was to graduate in June. Hanna also studies at the school.

Riley and Le Rouxan were students at Gilbert Plains Collegiate.

Watt had recently moved to Dauphin from Carberry.

Classes were muted Monday, Mountain View School Division superintendent Stephen Jaddock said by phone.

“It was a very sombre start to the morning. Very quiet. As time went on, students were able to speak and share their feelings,” he said.

“It’s going to take time to heal these wounds and its going to take community to heal these wounds. There is an eagerness be together and express that support and love for one another. It’s important… It just shows the strength of our community.”

In addition to a team of crisis response workers, the school division has brought five additional support staff to assist students and faculty, including a therapy dog, “as long as its deemed necessary,” he said.

Jaddock did not have exact numbers available, but said the graduating classes from Dauphin typically are 120 to 150 students.

Gilbert Plains typically has around 12 such graduates, he said.

On Monday, near Dauphin Regional Comprehensive, an Grade 11 student said it had been a silent and emotional day inside the school.

“It was quiet. Not many people were talking. The ones that really knew people in the accident were sad and there were teachers there to help them out,” the student said. “It’s kind of shocking. It’s crazy what happened.”

Manitoba Premier Heather Stefanson offered her condolences.

“It’s an absolute tragedy what took place, and the loss of life of those four young teenagers… Our thoughts and prayers go out to the families, our condolences go out to the families. It’s just a horrific tragedy,” she said in an interview.

“I reach out to all those families who are suffering, all the friends, all of their families and the neighbours, and everyone in that community, because it really affects everyone in the community.”

NDP Leader Wab Kinew and Liberal Leader Dougald Lamont offered similar condolences, saying they are willing to assist the families however they can.

By Monday afternoon, an online fundraiser to help cover the funeral costs for Swintak had raised $6,900 of its $10,000 goal.

RCMP did not have any updates on the investigation into the crash.

» Winnipeg Free Press