Sometimes, there's just no easy way to say it.
This job can sting you in certain ways.
One of the most enduring ways that it can do so is when bad news strikes in the local area.
Maybe it's a court matter in which someone has been sentenced to serve time, or maybe it's a blazing fire that's taken aim at a cherished local business or someone's home, or maybe it's a crime that's affected people that you may know.
Or, in the case of the past week, it's a horrific car crash that sadly saw one person lose their life while another remains in hospital.
On Thursday, September 19, Murray and Delores Silljer of Outlook were involved in a terrible crash on Highway 15 just outside of Broderick. Reports are stating that it took place on the infamous curve of that road, and in the end, the damage was heartbreaking. Delores, a 69-year old grandmother and beloved member of the riverside community of Outlook, is now gone. Murray, meanwhile, remains in hospital with a number of serious injuries.
First off, let me just send out my very best and my condolences to the family members of those who were affected. I can only imagine the heartache that you all must be feeling right now, but I do know that there's an entire community of people and then some who will be there for you when you need them. We're all thinking of you right now.
Let me tell you, when I heard the news and was informed that this infamous curve on Highway 15 was involved, I can't say that I was surprised. I myself, and probably a number of you reading this, have encountered some less-than-safe drivers on that curve located just outside of Broderick. I've traveled both east and west on that road and saw someone up ahead of me who decided to chance it and pass the vehicle in front of them, and all because, what, they can't wait 20-30 seconds to make it around the curve?
I like to think that what happened last week will make everyone stop and think twice about taking any ridiculous chances on that part of the highway, but I don't like to think that it probably took something like this happening in the first place to necessitate such a change in the mindset of some drivers.
From my point of view, as the local journalist covering the Outlook and surrounding Lake Diefenbaker area, I can honestly say that when something such as this happens in a rural community area, or any other kind of tragedy or headline-making event, there's a certain "battle from within" that I will sometimes go through.
I might ask myself how far do I go in describing the events of a particular crime, or how exactly do I word things in relation to how the events may have played out? I'll tell ya - at times, it's like a balancing act.
I remember covering the events of the Brigitt Blanchard murder trial way back in 2011 after she had stabbed Broderick resident Rick Murphy to death in March of 2010. The details I learned in that Saskatoon court room were enough to make the hair on your arms stand up, and after accumulating multiple pages worth of notes, I had to sit in my office and compose articles on the happenings after each day of the trial.
I also remember the phone calls my office got after each article was published, with some just wanting to learn more details of what I'd heard (I call those the Coffee Row Thrillseekers) and some wishing that I'd 'softened the blow', so to speak, when it came to describing the events of what happened. Well, how exactly can someone delicately describe a poor man getting stabbed more than 20 times?
Whether it was the events of that trial, or the events of the Ryan Bear matter where a young man attacked someone just north of Outlook in the Rudy Landing development, or the events of then-resident Patrick Gage being arrested after police learned he was a fugitive seen on America's Most Wanted, or the events of a person being discovered to have been stealing funds from a minor sports organization; whatever it was, I was there covering all of it. And I'll continue to be there, covering all of it.
At the end of the day, what I am is a journalist, and it's the job of a good journalist to keep a level head and present the facts. Sometimes, those facts are great, or they're inspiring, or they're wholesome, or they're funny, or they're just plain interesting.
Sometimes, though, those facts can be sad, or heartbreaking, or downright tragic. On those days, the news is just bad.
It's up to all of us to somehow pick up the pieces and keep ourselves moving.
Again, my best to the Silljer family right now and all who were affected by this terrible collision.
For this week, that's been the Ruttle Report.
