A truck driver involved in a crash that killed three people this past August made a court appearance on Thursday, Nov. 13.
According to St. Lucie County, Fla., court records, Harjinder Singh is facing three counts of vehicular homicide and three counts of manslaughter.
On Aug. 12 in St. Lucie County, Fla., a minivan crashed into a tractor-trailer driven by 28-year-old Harjinder Singh. All three of the van’s occupants were killed in the crash. The initial investigation indicated that Singh executed an illegal U-turn that led to the crash.
The truck driver who made an illegal U-turn on Florida’s Turnpike that led to the passing of 3 Americans, illegally entered the U.S. through the southern border in 2018.
Harjinder Singh has been charged with three counts of vehicular homic*de.
Singh got his Commercial Driver’s… pic.twitter.com/FGZVHDWMGs
— Collin Rugg (@CollinRugg) August 17, 2025
Fox News reported that Singh’s attorneys requested that his blood samples be released for independent analysis. Additionally, his attorneys asked to inspect the vehicles involved in the crash before they are released to law enforcement custody. Singh appeared via video from the St. Lucie County Jail.
Days after the crash, the U.S. Department of Homeland Security announced that it lodged an arrest detainer for Singh, a native of India. DHS said that Singh was in the United States illegally.
The U.S. Department of Transportation has used the incident as a cautionary tale for why it believes the non-domiciled CDL system needs to be overhauled. About a month-and-a-half after the crash, FMCSA issued an emergency interim final rule that would make about 200,000 current non-domiciled CDL drivers ineligible.
FMCSA officials reported that Singh failed an English-language proficiency assessment administered after the crash. According to DOT, Singh provided correct responses to only two of 12 verbal questions and accurately identified only one of four highway traffic signs. The DOT said Singh was issued a speeding ticket on July 3 in New Mexico, but was not given any violations for being unable to speak English.
However, New Mexico State Police released body cam footage of the interaction and argued that there was no reason to question Singh’s English proficiency.
“Regarding the July 3, 2025, traffic stop of Mr. Singh: even if ELP testing had already been in effect, no assessment would have been conducted in this case,” the New Mexico State Police wrote in the news release. “Both the federal guidelines and … statements by the U.S. Department of Transportation make clear that ELP assessments are only required when there is a challenge in communication. As the video of the traffic stop demonstrates, there were no communication issues between Mr. Singh and the officer. Therefore, there would have been no reason to initiate an ELP assessment.” LL
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