CHANDIGARH: A Indian-origin truck driver hailing from Punjab has been sentenced to six years in jail in Canada, for his part in major traffic mishap near Montreal in 2022 that reportedly lost two lives a mother and her 11- year-old and injured 10 others.
Soon after the incident he has been barred from driving for 10 years.
The 29-year old Baljeet Singh pleaded guilty in April to dangerous driving causing death in connection with the July 2022 crash on Highway 30 near the Saint-Hubert borough of Longueuil.
The sentence was announced by Quebec Court Judge Sacha Blais who described Singh’s driving as "negligent and demonstrated his disregard for the lives of others," while slamming his 'total lack of judgement' in playing a video game while on the road.
Singh who was driving a 53-foot tractor-trailer as traffic slowed near a construction zone close to Grande-Allée Boulevard pleaded guilty in April this year with regard to dangerous driving causing death and bodily harm and admitted that he was playing Ludo on his phone and was not watching the road when the collision occurred on a highway near the city of Montreal.
The crash claimed the lives of Nancy Lefrançois, 42, and her 11-year-old son, Loic. Ten other people were injured.
An agreement statement of facts presented before the court pointed out that Singh had fled to India after voluntarily meeting with Sureté du Québec investigators, the local law enforcement, and claiming to have no recollection of the collision.
He also expressed his remorse over the part he played in the tragedy. "He expresses his regret to the victims, their loved ones, and his family," the court was informed.
After the accident Singh was taken to hospital for nervous shock but disappeared the next day. Investigators later determined that he had travelled to Toronto before leaving for India and subsequently California.
Following that an international arrest warrant was issued by the Canadian authorities in 2024 and Singh was arrested by US federal agents in California on August 21, 2025. He was later extradited to Canada to face the charges.
According to a review of his dashboard camera, he committed over 40 traffic infractions over the last three trips he had undertaken. Dangerous driving causing death carries a maximum sentence of life imprisonment under Canadian law. However, the court accepted the jointly proposed sentence of six years in prison, along with the 10-year driving prohibition.