Undocumented Indian Truck Driver Causes Fatal Crash While Under Influence: 3 Dead in California Collision

Authorities report that Singh failed to apply brakes before colliding with stationary traffic.

A 21-year-old Indian national, residing illegally in the United States, has been charged with causing a devastating semi-truck collision that claimed three lives in Southern California. Jashanpreet Singh faces charges of gross vehicular manslaughter while intoxicated after his large commercial vehicle crashed into slow-moving traffic on a freeway in San Bernardino County, according to multiple American news sources.

Reports indicate Singh entered the United States through the southern border in 2022. His initial contact with Border Patrol agents occurred in California's El Centro Sector in March 2022, after which he was released into the country under the Biden administration's "alternatives to detention" program, which allows undocumented immigrants to remain in the country while awaiting court hearings.

The horrific collision was captured by the dashcam of Singh's Freightliner tractor-trailer as it crashed into an SUV, resulting in at least three fatalities and multiple injuries.

Officials have not yet released the identities of the three deceased victims. The injured included Singh himself and a mechanic who was performing a tire change on another vehicle at the time of the crash.

Law enforcement officials stated that Singh, who was under the influence of drugs, made no attempt to brake before crashing into the traffic congestion. Police confirmed his impairment through toxicology testing.

"Following medical examination at the hospital, our officers determined he was operating his vehicle while under the influence of controlled substances," CHP Officer Rodrigo Jimenez told ABC7 News.

The US Department of Homeland Security has verified that Singh lacks legal immigration status in the United States. Fox News reports that United States Immigration and Customs Enforcement (USICE) has filed an immigration detainer against him following his arrest.

This incident represents another in a series involving undocumented immigrant truck drivers in the United States. In a similar case from August, an Indian immigrant named Harjinder Singh was implicated in a collision in Fort Pierce, Florida, that resulted in three deaths. Reports suggest Harjinder Singh illegally crossed the southern US border in 2018 before obtaining a commercial driver's license in California.