An Indian-origin truck driver has pleaded guilty to dangerous driving causing death after admitting he was playing an online cellphone game when he triggered a multi-vehicle crash that killed a mother and her 11-year-old son in Quebec, Canada.
Ontario resident Baljeet Singh, 29, entered guilty pleas in a Longueuil courthouse to dangerous driving causing death and dangerous driving causing bodily harm over the July 19, 2022 collision on Highway 30 in Brossard, near Montreal.
As per CTV News, court documents show Singh was driving a 53-foot tractor-trailer when he failed to slow down approaching a congested construction zone, causing a major pileup.
An agreed statement of facts revealed he had used his cellphone 18 times in the hour before the crash and was actively playing an online game while driving.
The crash killed 42-year-old mother Nancy Lefrançois and her 11-year-old son Loïc Chevalier, who were travelling in a passenger vehicle struck in the collision. Several other passengers and drivers suffered serious injuries, including fractures, internal bleeding and head trauma.
Investigators found Singh’s driving showed repeated distraction, with dashcam footage reportedly recording multiple traffic violations, lane weaving and failure to take mandatory rest breaks.
A reconstruction report concluded Singh had just 0.35 seconds of reaction time before impact, stating the crash could likely have been avoided if he had been attentive to road conditions.
After initially speaking with police, Singh later left Canada for India before being arrested abroad in 2025 and extradited back to Canada.
Singh has expressed remorse in court documents and is currently in custody ahead of sentencing, scheduled for June.
Dangerous driving causing death carries a maximum penalty of life imprisonment.
Support our Journalism
No-nonsense journalism. No paywalls. Whether you’re in Australia, the UK, Canada, the USA, or India, you can support The Australia Today by taking a paid subscription via Patreon or donating via PayPal — and help keep honest, fearless journalism alive.
