Survivor of bus crash that killed 16 people making debut at Paralympics in Paris 2024
Jacob Wasserman was paralysed in the 2018 bus accident in Canada which killed 16 members of the Humboldt Broncos, but he will compete at the Paralympic Games.
The survivor of a bus crash which killed 16 people will make his Paralympics debut at the Paris 2024 Games. Canadian Para rower Jacob Wasserman was a former hockey sensation but took up a new sport after being left paralysed from the navel down.
Wasserman was once the number-one goaltender for junior ice hockey team Humboldt Broncos, until a tragic incident in 2018 saw his life change in an instant. The goalkeeper and his team-mates were on their way to a playoff game in the Saskatchewan Junior Hockey League when their team coach was struck by a semi-trailer.
The other driver failed to stop at a flashing stop sign and collided with the vehicle, causing the deadliest Canadian road accident in over 20 years as 16 Broncos players and staff were killed.
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Wasserman was one of just 13 survivors, though he was left paralysed from the waist down. And since discovering Para rowing in late 2022 on the advice of a friend, the 24-year-old has gone on an inspirational journey to reach the Paris Games.
He's enjoyed a rapid rise in the sport, his greatest feat coming at the Canadian Para Rowing Championship where he won a gold medal. Wasserman also secured silver at the 2024 World Rowing Americas Paralympic Qualification Regatta in Rio de Janeiro, which allowed him to earn a spot in Canada’s Paralympics team.
He had initially targeted the L.A. 2028 Games - but his immense ability fast-tracked him to making an appearance in the men’s PR1 single sculls in Paris. His event is a 2,000-metre race for rowers without leg or trunk function, and gets underway on August 30.
Wasserman, who will be joined by his wife, brother and parents in France, has spent the past month training six days per week - twice-daily - on a current-free Wascana Lake in Regina, Saskatchewan. He still counts his former Broncos team-mates as his most ardent fans.
“All those guys are my biggest supporters, I think, besides my wife and family for sure,” said Wassermann, before adding that he’s also grateful for the support he receives across Canada.
“They’re the best. We keep in touch all the time. At least once a year we all try to meet up and they’ve sent lots of words, saying they’re pumped for me and they can’t wait to watch me out there.”
Rowing is not the only adaptive sport he has tried his hand at, however, taking on Para ice hockey and adaptive water skiing. He stopped his sledge hockey pursuit, stating that the sport is a closed chapter of his pre-injury life.
“I like to compete,” said Wassermann. “I like how hard the workouts are. It’s a bit of a thrill, too, to be out there on the water and doing things that I wasn’t doing before I was injured.”
