An RCMP officer walks past a van that was carrying the Bathurst High School boys' basketball team after it collided with a transport truck while returning from a game in Moncton in January 2008. (Andrew Vaughan/Canadian Press)

The Bathurst High School boys' basketball team's coach and driver recounted his memories of a crash that killed seven teens and his wife, at a coroner's inquest in New Brunswick on Monday.

It was the first time that Wayne Lord has spoken publicly since the tragic accident happened just outside of the northern community of Bathurst.

On Jan. 12, 2008, the Bathurst High School's Phantoms were returning from a game in Moncton, about 220 kilometres to the south, when the van they were travelling in fishtailed on a snowy stretch of highway near Bathurst and collided with a truck.

Seven members of the basketball team were killed in the crash, ranging in age from 15 to 18. Beth Lord, the coach's wife and a teacher at another school, also died.

Lord was the second witness to testify at the inquest that started on Monday.

He testified that the roads became progressively worse on the trip back from the basketball game in Moncton. He said slush was covering the centre line of the highway.

Speaking softly, he told the inquest that he saw a transport truck coming toward the van he was driving so he moved over in his lane trying to give the massive vehicle a wide berth.

Lord said he hit the shoulder of the road, tried to straighten out the van but couldn't.

Transport truck driver is first witness

Austin Ward, driver of the transport truck, was the first witness at the inquest. He testified that at the time of the crash he was returning to Moncton after dropping off a load of groceries.

He said he was coming off the ramp near Bathurst when he saw lights in the other lane.

Ward said the van crossed over into his lane and the vehicles collided within two or three seconds.

Ward said after the accident, he walked toward the van and met Lord.

Ward said the coach asked him, "Have you seen my players?"

The coroner's inquest started on Monday morning with the selection of a five-person jury. New Brunswick's acting chief coroner has said the inquest will continue until May 15.

Ana Acevedo, left, and Isabelle Hains stand outside the courthouse in Bathurst Monday. Hains's son Daniel and Acevdo's son Javier were killed in the 2008 crash. (Andrew Vaughan/Canadian Press)

The victims' families are preparing themselves for a difficult two weeks.

Ana Acevedo, whose 17-year-old son Javier died in the crash, said the inquest is important, and hopes the recommendations the come out of it can prevent future tragedies. Although she has seen all of the reports that have been written on the van accident, she hopes to get more answers during the inquest from those who were involved in making decisions on that day.

"I want to know what happened that day," Acevedo said.

"I want to know how come that unfit van, that didn't even have seatbelts, or the seatbelts were not properly working, [was used] to drive all those children out of that school."

Victims' parents hope changes will be recommended

Ginette Emond knows it will be hard to relive the details of the accident that killed her son, Codey Branch. But she believes the inquest is necessary to ensure that other children are safe when they're travelling for school sports.

"Everything that I'm doing right now, wanting this inquest, working with the school district to try to make changes, it's for my children and children to come," she told CBC News.

Both Emond and Chris Quinn, who lost his son Nickolas in the crash, hope the inquest will lead to tougher rules when it comes to transporting students.

Quinn, one of the parents who pushed for an inquest, said he's anxious, but hopeful that it will produce recommendations to improve the safety of school road trips.

Greg Forestell, New Brunswick's acting chief coroner, granted the request for an inquest in December.

A report released by the RCMP late last year found the van involved in the collision — a 1997 Ford Econoline E350 Club Wagon — was in poor condition. Another report by Transport Canada found the driver had been awake for 16 hours and was driving in poor weather conditions.

Those reports have resulted in some changes to transportation policies for extracurricular school activities, including the banning of 15-passenger vans and the mandatory use of winter tires.