Harjot Singh, a 22-year-old Ontario truck driver, could face up to two years in prison after pleading guilty last June to five counts of hit-and-run causing bodily harm.
The case is being heard in the Saint-Hyacinthe courthouse in Quebec, where the Crown prosecutor is pressing for incarceration to meet the goals of public denunciation and deterrence.
The accident took place just over a year ago in Sainte-Hélène-de-Bagot. Singh, a resident of Brampton, Ontario, who was in Canada on a student visa, failed to stop at a mandatory stop sign and collided directly with a family minivan. The young truck driver, who had only obtained his truck license a few months prior, chose to flee the scene without aiding the injured.
The consequences of the accident were severe, both physically and emotionally, for the affected family. The mother was left in a coma and later emerged with significant disabilities. The father sustained multiple fractures and a head injury. The family’s three children were also injured: the youngest, a four-year-old girl, suffered a broken wrist; her five-year-old sister sustained pelvic injuries; and the eldest, a ten-year-old, fractured her knee and suffered numerous bruises.
Singh was intercepted by the Sûreté du Québec (SQ) about ten kilometers away on Highway 20 after witnesses reported that his trailer’s rear axle was damaged and emitting smoke. At the time of his arrest, Singh was engaged in a video call that had been active for at least 26 minutes, which raised questions about his attention while driving. Although it couldn’t be proven that he was actively using the phone at the moment of impact, the evidence highlighted his irresponsible behavior.
In court, Singh, speaking in Punjabi, expressed fear and panic, citing this as his first long-haul trip from Montreal to Quebec City with a heavier load than usual. He conveyed deep regret for his actions. Singh arrived in Canada in 2016 and was relatively new to truck driving.
Despite Singh’s hope to serve his sentence at home, Crown prosecutor Me Émilie Gadbois firmly opposed this, arguing that incarceration is the only appropriate response given the severity of the case. On Wednesday, she reminded the court that similar cases usually result in sentences of 12 to 24 months in prison.
As the final judgment approaches, the family continues to recover from the physical and emotional scars of that traumatic night. For Harjot Singh, the young truck driver, the verdict will bring closure to a lengthy legal process and determine the consequences he will face for his actions that night.
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