FORT LAUDERDALE, Fla. (AP) – A commercial truck driver named Harjinder Singh, aged 28, is facing serious charges after being involved in a fatal crash on Florida's Turnpike last month. Singh, a native of India, waived his first appearance hearing on Monday and entered a not guilty plea, according to court records. He is currently being held in the St. Lucie County Jail without bond on three counts of vehicular homicide, in addition to immigration violations.
Singh, who had been living in California, received his commercial driver's license from Washington before it was reissued by California. The incident occurred on August 12, when Singh allegedly attempted to make an illegal U-turn from the northbound lanes of the highway near Fort Pierce. This reckless maneuver led to a tragic crash involving a minivan that was unable to stop in time, resulting in the deaths of the driver and two passengers of the minivan. Remarkably, Singh and a passenger in his truck were not injured in the incident.
The fallout from this crash has triggered a heated exchange between the Trump administration and California Governor Gavin Newsom. In response to the incident, Transportation Secretary Sean Duffy announced new, stricter rules for non-citizens seeking commercial driver’s licenses. These updated regulations were revealed as a direct result of an audit prompted by the tragic events of the Florida crash, which indicated that existing licensing rules were not stringent enough. Duffy criticized several states, including California, where the audit discovered multiple instances of improperly issued commercial driver’s licenses.
During a news conference last week, Duffy stated that Singh should never have been able to obtain a commercial driver’s license, citing his immigration status. The audit indicated that commercial licenses had been improperly issued not only in California but also in Colorado, Pennsylvania, South Dakota, Texas, and Washington. However, Duffy highlighted that the situation in California was particularly severe, prompting him to threaten a withdrawal of $160 million in federal funding if corrective measures were not promptly taken.
As the case proceeds, neither Singh's attorney, Natalie Knight-Tai, nor prosecutor David Dodd has commented on the ongoing legal situation. The next significant event in this case is scheduled for a pre-trial docket call set for Friday in Fort Pierce, where further developments regarding the charges against Singh are expected to unfold.
This case not only raises concerns about the actions of Singh but also about the procedures and regulations governing the issuance of commercial driver’s licenses, especially concerning non-citizens. The implications of this tragic incident extend beyond the courtroom, sparking significant discussions on road safety and the responsibilities of government agencies in regulating drivers on public highways.
