Montreal (Rajeev Sharma): A fatal road accident in Canada has taken a serious turn after a Punjabi-origin truck driver admitted in court that he was distracted by a mobile game at the time of the crash that killed a woman and her son.
The accused, Baljit Singh, entered a guilty plea in a Montreal-area court, acknowledging that his negligence led to the deadly collision on Highway 30 in Brossard, Quebec, in July 2022.
According to details presented during the hearing, Singh was operating a large commercial truck when it slammed into a line of slow-moving vehicles in a construction zone. The impact resulted in a multi-vehicle pile-up, claiming the lives of 42-year-old Nancy Lefrançois and her 11-year-old son, Loïc Chevalier. Several others were seriously injured, while the woman’s husband survived with multiple fractures.
Prosecutors said Singh was actively playing a game on his mobile phone at the time of the crash. Data revealed that he had been using his phone repeatedly before the incident and had a pattern of engaging in such behavior while driving.
Investigators also highlighted that Singh failed to respond in time, missing a brief opportunity to brake before the collision. The delay, attributed to distraction, proved fatal.
After the accident, Singh initially told police he had no memory of the events. However, shortly after being discharged from hospital, he left Canada and travelled abroad. Authorities later tracked him to the United States, where he was arrested in 2025 and returned to Canada to face charges.
The case has drawn attention to the dangers of distracted driving, particularly involving heavy vehicles. Singh now faces the possibility of a severe sentence, with the court expected to deliver its verdict in June 2026.
Officials confirmed that video evidence collected from the truck has been submitted during the trial, though it has not been made public.
