Source: nationalheraldindia.com
The truck driver accused of causing a deadly crash on the Florida Turnpike earlier this year had repeatedly failed his commercial driving exam before receiving a license, according to multiple reports.
Officials said Harjinder Singh, who is charged in connection with an August 12 crash that killed three people in St. Lucie County, failed his commercial driver’s license test ten times in Washington state between March and April 2023. Despite the repeated failures, he eventually obtained a license there before later securing a California CDL.
Authorities said Singh, originally from India, entered the United States illegally through Mexico in 2018 and was undocumented at the time of the crash. It remains unclear how he obtained a California commercial license, which typically requires proof of lawful presence, among other documentation.
According to the Florida Highway Patrol, Singh was driving an 18-wheeler north on the Turnpike when he attempted to make a U-turn in a restricted “official use only” median about 19 miles north of Fort Pierce. As he crossed into the left lane, a minivan slammed into the trailer, becoming wedged beneath it.
The crash killed the van’s driver, 30-year-old Herby Dufresne, and passengers 37-year-old Faniola Joseph and 54-year-old Rodrigue Dor. The victims, all former South Florida residents, had been visiting from Indiana.
Singh is charged with three counts of vehicular homicide and is being held without bond in the St. Lucie County Jail under an immigration detainer. His next court hearing is scheduled for November 13.
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