California: Jashanpreet Singh, the 21-year-old Indian-origin truck driver accused of causing a fatal multi-vehicle crash in California last month, was not under the influence of alcohol or drugs at the time of the incident, US authorities have confirmed. The clarification, reported by PTI, contradicts initial claims that the driver was intoxicated.
Singh was arrested on October 21 on suspicion of driving under the influence (DUI) and charged with vehicular manslaughter with gross negligence, along with DUI causing injury, following the crash in Ontario, California, which left three people dead and several others seriously injured.
However, a complaint filed by prosecutors stated that toxicology tests found no trace of alcohol or controlled substances in Singh’s blood. “Despite the negative test results, the case remains one of grossly negligent homicide,” the San Bernardino County District Attorney’s Office said.
The updated complaint includes three counts of vehicular manslaughter with gross negligence and an additional charge of reckless driving on a highway causing injury. Eyewitness accounts and dashcam footage reportedly showed Singh speeding through stationary traffic moments before the collision.
A Fox News report last month revealed that Singh had crossed the US-Mexico border illegally in 2022 and was released pending an immigration hearing.
This marks the second fatal crash in recent months involving an Indian-origin truck driver in the United States. In August, 28-year-old Harjinder Singh was accused of making an illegal U-turn with his tractor-trailer in Florida, resulting in a collision that killed three people. He faces three counts of vehicular homicide.
The back-to-back incidents have prompted increased scrutiny of foreign commercial drivers in the US. Following the Florida case, US Secretary of State Marco Rubio temporarily suspended the issuance of commercial truck driver work visas.
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