The charges against semi driver Jaskirat Singh are a good start, says the mother of one of the players hurt in the Humboldt Broncos bus crash.

"I don't want to ruin this guy's life but careless driving or whatever it was, he changed the lives of more than 29 people that day. It needs to be brought to, I would say, legislation changes in the trucking industry and probably Canada wide,” said Michelle Straschnitzki of Airdrie, Alberta, whose son Ryan was left with a broken back and paralysis from the chest down.

Singh faces 16 counts of Dangerous Operation of a Motor Vehicle Causing Death and 13 counts of Dangerous Operation of a Motor Vehicle Causing Bodily Injury.  He made his first court appearance on Tuesday.

Straschnitzki said she doesn't want to let anger get in the way of Ryan's recovery.

“We know, we all understand that day that man did not go out to do this. That was never his intention, however, his actions did. There is anger but we are trying to just focus on the here and the now.  

“I know Ryan is just trying to focus on his brothers and the healing process for everyone and I think he's just leaving it to the court system and the police."

Ryan is doing surprisingly well and was buoyed by a visit from his girlfriend this weekend, Straschnitzki said.

"They've been out and about and he's learned how to car transfer, so that's awesome.   He's got a little bit more freedom back so he's able to be as normal as possible right now.  He's just really excited about what he's doing right now."

Ryan is happy to be back in Airdrie and has had a steady stream of friends coming by, she said.

The Straschnitzki house is being renovated for him, which included a "basement wrecking party" where volunteers tore out everything. Once the demolition is complete, the family will be out of their home for three to four months while renovations are done.

The family will be staying at Airdrie's Wingate Hotel. which Straschnitzki said has been "awesome" in helping them.

She also wants to express her thanks on behalf of the family to everyone in Airdrie and Calgary who have expressed their support for Ryan.