Harjinder Singh, an Indian truck driver, has been denied bond following a fatal crash on the Florida Turnpike that resulted in the deaths of three people. The St. Lucie County judge, Lauren Sweet, made the ruling Saturday morning, citing that Singh is an unauthorized alien and a substantial flight risk. Singh is currently held in St. Lucie County Jail as his case proceeds.
The tragic incident occurred on August 12th on the northbound lanes of the Florida Turnpike near mile marker 171 in Fort Pierce, Florida. According to the Florida Highway Patrol, Singh was driving a semi-truck when he allegedly attempted to make an illegal U-turn at an "Official Use Only Turn Around". The semi-truck was in the outside lane when a minivan, traveling in the inside lane, collided with the trailer. All three occupants of the minivan died as a result of the crash.
Singh faces serious charges, including three counts of vehicular homicide and three counts of manslaughter. Judge Sweet found probable cause for all six charges, classifying them as forcible felonies under Florida law. Singh appeared in court via video from St. Lucie County Jail with the aid of an interpreter. Reports indicate that he did not understand questions about a court-appointed attorney and wished to wait until the next hearing to be represented by a public defender.
The case has drawn national attention and sparked political debate. Florida's Lieutenant Governor Jay Collins flew to California to extradite Singh back to Florida. Governor Ron DeSantis has stated that they are going to "throw the book at him". Collins also stated that Singh demonstrated "no remorse" and was uncaring. He added that Singh would be deported to India after serving his sentence.
Adding another layer to the case, Singh's brother, Harneet Singh, was arrested by the U.S. Department of Homeland Security (DHS) on charges of vehicle homicide. DHS stated that Harneet was a passenger in the semi-truck at the time of the crash and is also an undocumented immigrant from India. DHS also stated that Border Patrol encountered Harneet in May 2023, and alleged that he was released by the Biden Administration. He will remain in custody pending removal proceedings.
The case has ignited discussions about immigration policies, commercial driver's licenses, and road safety. It was revealed that Singh entered the U.S. illegally in 2018. While he obtained a commercial driver's license in California, his application for work authorization was initially rejected during the Trump administration in 2020 but was later approved during the Biden administration, according to DHS. Collins questioned how Singh was able to drive a commercial vehicle, stating that Singh only answered three of sixteen questions asked by officers at the scene.
