‘Please Help Our Boy’: Punjab Family Appeals For Son Arrested In US Truck Crash That Killed 3
The family of Jashanpreet Singh, a 21-year-old truck driver from Purana Shala village in Punjab, has appealed for help after he was arrested in the US following a tragic eight-vehicle crash that killed three people and injured four others. The incident took place on a southern California freeway earlier this week.
Singh’s parents, Kulwinder Singh, a school bus driver, and Jasveer Kaur, along with his younger sister, are struggling to come to terms with the situation.
His mother pleaded with the authorities, saying, “Please help our boy. He went abroad only to build his future, not to harm anyone.”
The family noted that the 21-year-old is an ‘Amritdhari’ Sikh who has never used drugs or alcohol, calling the crash a tragic accident rather than a result of negligence.
Community leaders and activists have called on the Punjab government and the Centre to intervene with US authorities to ensure Singh receives fair treatment. Appeals have also been made to the Akal Takht to seek leniency for him while expressing condolences to the families of the victims, The Times Of India reported.
According to reports, Singh allegedly drove his semi-truck into slow-moving traffic in Southern California on Tuesday, causing a devastating crash. Police reports suggest that he did not apply the brakes before the collision, and toxicology tests indicated he was impaired. Singh has been arrested on suspicion of gross vehicular manslaughter while intoxicated.
Singh, an Indian-origin truck driver, reportedly crossed the southern US border in 2022 and was released under the Biden administration’s 2022 “alternatives to detention” policy pending an immigration hearing. US Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) has since lodged an immigration detainer following his arrest.
This is the second incident in recent months involving an Indian-origin truck driver in a fatal US crash. In August, Harjinder Singh, 28, was accused of causing a deadly crash in Florida, killing three people.
The incidents have prompted US authorities, including Secretary of State Marco Rubio, to pause the issuance of commercial truck driver visas for foreign nationals, citing road safety concerns.
