Gurjinder Singh, a 34-year-old truck driver from Ontario, pleaded guilty on Monday at the Rivière-du-Loup courthouse in connection with a fatal accident that occurred in April 2024.
Singh admitted to the charge of failing to stop after a collision resulting in death, in a case that continues to raise serious questions.
The incident took place during the night of April 14, as Singh was driving eastbound a heavy vehicle on Highway 20, in Quebec, accompanied by a sleeping co-driver. At approximately 12:49 a.m., the truck allegedly struck Stéphane Thibault, a 45-year-old man who reportedly ran into the path of the truck, which was travelling at close to 100 km/h.
Singh and his co-driver are believed to have briefly returned to the scene but did not contact emergency services immediatly.
It was only after an employee at New Way Trucking Canada, the company Singh worked for, reviewed the truck’s dashcam footage that the collision was confirmed and emergency responders were called. This delay deeply affected the victim’s family, one member of whom was present in court. A relative questioned whether earlier intervention could have saved Mr. Thibault’s life.
Monday’s hearing also highlighted significant language barriers. Singh appeared to have difficulty understanding English and nodded in agreement multiple times without asking questions.
He will be provided with a Punjabi interpreter for his next court appearance, scheduled for November 20.
At that time, members of the victim’s family are expected to testify about the impact of the tragedy.
Read More :
Temporary Foreign Worker Program in Trucking: A System Ripe for Abuse
