Indian-origin driver accused in truck crash that killed three people in US was not 'intoxicated': Report

CHANDIGARH: Contrary to initial reports, 21-year-old Jashanpreet Singh, an Indian-origin driver who crashed his semi-truck killing three US citizens in California last month, was not driving while being 'intoxicated'. However, the case remains a grossly negligent homicide, stated the Bernardino County District Attorneys Office. An updated complaint was filed last week, which said that toxicology reports confirmed that none of the toxic substances tested were present in Singhs blood at the time the test was rendered. The complaint includes the three counts of vehicular manslaughter with gross negligence, as well as the new charge of `reckless driving on a highway causing a specified injury. Eyewitness and dashcam footage showed Singh travelling at a high speed through stopped traffic. This is a heinous tragedy that took three lives and severely injured others. Frankly, it was easily avoidable if the defendant had not been driving in a grossly negligent manner. Had the rule of law been followed by State and Federal officials, the defendant should have never been in California at all, said San Bernardino County District Attorney Jason Anderson. No bail was set for Singh, and authorities said they will continue to request no bail based on the seriousness of the offence and his flight risk. Earlier, the California Highway Patrol had stated that Singh was driving a speeding semi-truck and failed to apply the brakes before crashing into slow-moving traffic stuck in congestion on Interstate 10 in San Bernardino County. The dashcam footage showed the same. The Department of Homeland Security said that he was not a lawful immigrant and that ICE has lodged a detainer following his arrest. Singh, an illegal immigrant, had crossed the southern border of the US in 2022 and was released pending an immigration hearing. He hails from Purana Shala village in Gurdaspur district. His family was in shock after learning about the incident. Singhs father, Ravinder Singh, a school bus driver, had earlier levied allegations that his son was under the influence of drugs were baseless and urged the Union Government to intervene to ensure no injustice is done to his son. Asserting that he never consumed drugs or any intoxicant, he said, My son was not into drugs; he is an Amritdhari Sikh. The allegations of drugs against him are completely wrong. This is the second such incident since August in which an Indian-origin truck driver has been accused of causing a deadly crash in the US. On August 12, Harjinder Singh, 28, allegedly made an illegal U-turn in his tractor-trailer in Florida, causing a deadly crash that killed three people. He faces three counts of vehicular homicide. Following the incident, US Secretary of State Marco Rubio announced a pause to all issuances of commercial truck driver work visas. The increasing number of foreign drivers operating large tractor-trailer trucks on US roads is endangering American lives and undercutting the livelihoods of American truckers, Rubio had posted on social media.