An Indian-origin truck driver accused of causing a crash that killed a Manitoba mother and her eight-year-old daughter has been granted bail, nine months after allegedly fleeing Canada to avoid arrest.
Navjeet Singh, 26, was released under strict conditions after a contested bail hearing before Judge Michael Clark in Manitoba provincial court on 28 August. His bail terms include surrendering his passport and driver’s licence, not occupying the driver’s seat of any vehicle, living at a specific address in Ontario, and reporting weekly to Manitoba police.
Singh was arrested on 21 August at Toronto’s Pearson International Airport after arriving on an Ethiopian Airlines flight. He had been wanted on charges of dangerous operation of a motor vehicle causing death and obstructing a peace officer in connection with the 15 November 2024 crash that killed 35-year-old Sara Unger and her daughter Alexa near Altona, about 90 kilometres southwest of Winnipeg.
Crown attorney Michael Himmelman told the court investigators believe Singh was driving at least 91 km/h when he ran a stop sign, striking the passenger side of Unger’s SUV. A witness described the collision as an “explosion,” with the SUV “football-kicked a distance of over 53 metres.” The impact was so severe, Himmelman said, that “the front of the SUV was almost removed.”
Prosecutors also alleged Singh’s truck’s data recorder had been switched off before the crash and that his driving logs were falsified, suggesting he had not taken the mandatory eight-hour rest period. “This could point toward driver fatigue,” Himmelman said, adding that Singh’s conduct raised questions about whether he could be “taken at his word.”
“The fact that the data recorder in the accused’s vehicle had been shut off, I submit, is incredibly concerning. There’s also the manipulation and falsification of his driving logs to consider, in terms of whether Mr. Singh can be taken at his word.”
Police said Singh never returned for an interview after being discharged from hospital following the crash. Himmelman told the court that Singh was aware of the warrant for his arrest when he left Canada, indicating “he knowingly evaded the police.”
Singh’s Ontario-based lawyer, Abhay Gautam, argued his client voluntarily returned to face the charges. “He came back with that knowledge, and he came back to fight the charges,” Gautam said, describing Singh as “shocked and stressed” by the crash and claiming he travelled to India to care for his ill mother.
Judge Clark acknowledged the crash was “horrific” and that Singh could face a lengthy prison sentence if convicted but emphasised the presumption of innocence while granting bail.
“I do think that the public would maintain confidence in the administration of justice if I were to release Mr Singh on appropriate conditions.”
The bail decision sparked political backlash, with Manitoba Premier Wab Kinew criticising the ruling during question period.
“We have to encourage our judges and justices of the peace to reflect on the role their decisions will have when they are learned by the public.”
However, the Manitoba Bar Association condemned the premier’s comments, warning they risked undermining judicial independence. “Such comments ignore the presumption of innocence and could affect the fairness of a trial,” said association president Stacey Soldier.
“Furthermore, it could ultimately affect the fairness of a trial, which doesn’t just affect an accused person; it also affects victims and loved ones.”
Singh’s bail conditions also bar him from contacting witnesses or victims’ relatives and impose a nightly curfew, with a $7,500 surety pledged by a relative. His case returns to court in December.
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