Saskatoon

People at Prince Albert hockey arena stunned after infant fatally hit by truck

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Witnesses offered debriefing and support services

Heads were bowed after a celebration at centre ice at the end of the game, in the same spot where the smudging ceremony took place. Norway House won the Senator's Cup, edging out Canoe Lake 5-3. (Skylar Tait-Reaume/Facebook.)

A First Nations elder knelt down on the ice at a Prince Albert arena Sunday night in a sombre act of ceremony after a 10-month-old girl was hit by a truck in the parking lot.

Many in the stands had already heard shouts from the front entrance, which looks out into the parking lot, that the girl had not survived. Police later confirmed that she died in hospital.

Hundreds stood to honour her life as other elders directed a smudge on the ice.

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Hockey players in full uniform stood in a circle and cupped smoke from the burning sage into their hands. They pulled the smoke into their chest and over their heads.

"We all had a heavy heart because we all have children and grandchildren. It all struck very close to home," said Milton Tootoosis, who was in the crowd.

The ceremony happened at the Art Hauser Arena, where the annual hockey tournament hosted by the Prince Albert Grand Council (PAGC) was put on pause after the girl was hit and an ambulance was called.

The city's police say a truck moving at very low speed hit the girl. More details have not been offered as they investigate.

Staff and volunteers were among those who witnessed the "unexplainable" event, said Korey Diehl, a hockey player at the tournament who works with PAGC.

"I couldn't believe it," he said.

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"That whole rink was full with people from all across Saskatchewan, Alberta, Manitoba. People had come in to watch some good hockey and for that to happen right at the end of the tournament was very unexpected."

Volunteers and staff at the tournament were among the witnesses of the fatal incident, said Korey Diehl. (City of Prince Albert)

Now PAGC is offering support services. The city of Prince Albert hosted a mobile crisis session on Tuesday that was "open to any witnesses from the tragic accident on Sunday," according to a news release.

The debriefing was set to last three hours.

The family whose child died had travelled there from the province's north-east to cheer on Diehl's team, the Peter Ballantyne Cree Nation Stars, Diehl said.

Everything happened very fast outside the change room doors, Diehl said. His team had just finished a game that knocked them out of the final, and they were advised to stay in the change room while the crisis played out outside.

About half an hour later, PAGC officials and elders made a decision to smudge, pray, and go ahead with the final game of the tournament.

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After a weekend of great hockey, many paused to reflect on what Tootoosis called a "one in a million" tragedy.

PAGC Grand Chief Brian Hardlotte offered prayers during the closing ceremonies and later wrote a condolence message to the family of the little girl.

The message extended "heartfelt sympathies and condolences to the families affected by the loss of their loved one in a tragic accident.

"Our hearts ache as there is no greater pain than losing a young one, and there are no words to convey your pain of loss. May memories of her and the love of your family and community surround you with comfort and provide you with the courage and strength into the days ahead."

Now, PAGC's gymnasium has turned into a centre for the little girl's family to grieve.

Others who need support services are able to contact PAGC's Holistic Wellness Centre at (306) 765-5305.