A Decade After Tragic Sledding Accident at Olympic Track, Parents' Faith Endures
Ten years after his twin sons were killed in a sledding escapade on WinSport's sliding track, Jason Caldwell says his religious faith and his faith in young people has never been stronger. A decade to the day Evan and Jordan Caldwell, 17, died instantly when the plastic sled they were riding plowed into a barrier on the track, Jason Caldwell says the memories of the tragedy remain potent for him and his wife Shauna.
"We are remembering a very sacred day today, it's always quite evocative thinking about what happened 10 years ago," said Caldwell. "We're well-supported, though."
The Fateful Night That Changed Everything
On February 6, 2016, his 17-year-old twins along with six friends snuck into the closed bobsled run at Canada Olympic Park and on three separate plastic sleds slid down the track. Earlier that day a barricade separating the bobsled and luge runs had been locked in place to close the former and the three sleds crashed, killing the brothers while their six male friends suffered injuries.
"They had no idea they were heading into a death trap halfway down the track," said their father. "There were a lot of things that could have prevented what happened, but that doesn't bring them back."
Finding Strength Through Faith and Community
Caldwell admits the heartbreak of 2016 challenged his religious faith, which he said proved instrumental in overcoming the darkness. Grieving, he said, was given meaning and solace by the knowledge of an afterlife.
"(Shauna's and my) faith certainly has been tested in every way but life is a vapour and it's important to understand what our destiny is ... even in our faults and failures, God has a plan," said Caldwell.
Official Inquiry and Lasting Legacy
A fatality inquiry by provincial court Judge Margaret Keelaghan conducted in the spring of 2018 determined the deaths were accidental and caused by blunt-force head and neck trauma. "The young men involved in this incident were thrill-seeking youth whose ill-conceived risk-taking resulted in unspeakable tragedy," she wrote in her report released in November 2018.
"It is important, however, to remember that the two promising young men who passed away were bright, talented members of their community, loved by their family and their friends, who did not involve themselves with drugs or alcohol and who, before the incident occurred, had spent the evening at their church youth group."
At the end of the hearings, the grieving parents refused to assign blame and instead acknowledged the trauma and sadness that tragedy had caused. Their focus remains on honoring their sons' memory and maintaining the faith that has carried them through this difficult journey.
