: A 29-year-old truck driver of Punjabi origin has been sentenced to six years in prison in Canada over a 2022 road accident that killed a woman and her 11-year-old son and injured 10 others.
Baljit Singh pleaded guilty to dangerous driving causing death in connection with the crash. Evidence presented in court showed that he was playing an online game on his mobile phone while driving the truck when the accident occurred.
A Quebec court imposed the six-year prison sentence after prosecutors and the defence jointly recommended the punishment. The court accepted the recommendation and also imposed a 10-year driving ban on Singh.
Crash Killed Mother and 11-Year-Old Son
The accident took place in July 2022 on Highway 30 near the Saint-Hubert area. Saint-Hubert is part of the city of Longueuil in Quebec, in the Montreal South Shore region.
According to evidence presented before the court, Singh was using his mobile phone to play an online game when the collision occurred. The crash claimed the lives of 42-year-old Nancy Lafrance and her 11-year-old son, Loïc. Ten other people were also injured.
Singh had pleaded guilty in April to the charge of dangerous driving causing death.
Fled Canada After the Accident
Following the crash, Singh was admitted to hospital for treatment after experiencing shock and distress. However, he disappeared from the hospital the following day.
The investigation later established that he travelled to Toronto and subsequently left Canada for India. He later reached California.
Canadian authorities issued an international warrant for his arrest. In 2025, US federal agencies arrested Singh in California. He was subsequently returned to Canada to face charges related to the fatal crash.
Up to Life Imprisonment Possible Under Canadian Law
Under Canadian law, dangerous driving causing death can carry a maximum sentence of life imprisonment. In Singh’s case, however, the court approved the six-year sentence jointly proposed by the prosecution and defence.
In addition to the prison term, Singh has been prohibited from driving for 10 years.
The case attracted considerable attention in Quebec because of the fatalities and evidence that the driver’s attention was diverted by his mobile phone at the time of the crash.