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Benjamin Shingler
Telegraph-Journal

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FREDERICTON - The mother of a Bathurst high school basketball player who died in a tragic van crash last January has added her name to the list of parents calling for a coroner's inquest into the accident.

Enlarge Photo

The Canadian Press

Javier Acevedo

Anna Acevedo, mother of 17-year-old Javier, said she hopes an inquest would help prevent future tragedies like the one that claimed her son.

"My goal now is not to have any more life destroyed like they have destroyed mine by this accident," she said in an interview Friday.

"I want something positive to come from this. I want the Department of Education to make sure that these regulations are followed."

Chris Quinn, who lost his son Nicholas in the accident, also called for a coroner's inquiry earlier this week.

Greg Forestell, the province's acting chief coroner, has said publicly that an inquest is a possibility, but that a decision on the matter is still a few weeks away.

The RCMP announced earlier this week that no criminal charges will be laid in the case.

Separate investigations by the RCMP and Transport Canada found several safety problems with the van, which was carrying members of the Bathurst High School Phantoms home from a game in Moncton. Seven players died, along with the wife of the team's coach, who was driving the vehicle when it collided with a tractor-trailer on the outskirts of Bathurst.

Transport Canada also noted the driver had been on duty for 16 hours when the accident occurred late at night.

Acevedo said an inquest would help ensure regulations are enforced in future, and that greater care is taken to keep children safe during school trips.

"I think the main point here to me is to make sure the department of education takes responsibility for all their policies and guidelines," she said.

"If they have them there, they need to be followed, not just to be on paper."

Meanwhile, students, parents and schools are still adapting to the new travel rules set by the Department of Education this summer in the wake of the crash.

While key directives, such as the ban on 15-passenger vans and equipping vehicles with winter tires after Oct. 15, have likely made trips safer, they have also left schools struggling to come up with alternative modes of transportation.

"It's a challenge for schools to come up with safe modes of travel that ensure the highest level of safety," said Doug Prescott, president of the New Brunswick Interscholastic Athletic Association.

Prescott said some schools have been renting seven7-passenger vans, but many were not equipped with snow tires by the Oct. 15 deadline. Parents have also volunteered their own cars, but some do not have the proper insurance to transport a group of students.

"If we could have all of our teams provided with a yellow bus with a certified driver that would be ideal," Prescott said, quickly adding that the cost involved likely made it unrealistic.

Prescott said everyone involved is eager to receive the final report from the department that would establish the guidelines for the transportation of students to extracurricular activities.

"It's been a long fall for many principals and coaches as they wait for the final report to be released," Prescott said. "We're hoping for clear directives."

Prescott said he didn't know when the report would be released.

- with files from Canadian Press