A Windsor judge is sending a trucker to jail after a fatal crash.
Lovepreet Singh, 30, of Brampton is going to jail for nine months for careless driving causing death.
Two people were killed on Sept. 23, 2022, when Singh’s transport collided with their sedan on the eastbound lanes of Highway 401 near Belle River Road.
Court learned Singh’s phone was "active" in a phone call at the time of impact and he received a text message :26 before impact.
He was driving his transport between 104 to 106 km/h as he approached a construction zone ahead.
The force of the collision "collapsed" the rear portion of the victim’s vehicle and it burst into flames, according to Justice Daniel Topp.
Three members of the victim’s family were in an SUV ahead of them who were also injured.
Singh stayed at the scene; he even tried to rescue the victims and he suffered burns to his hands as a result.
Inspite of Singh’s high prospects of rehabilitation, his guilty plea and level of remorse, Justice Topp felt a message needed to be sent to the community to restore public trust in the transport truck driver profession.
After his jail sentence, Singh won’t be able to drive for four years.
"I am hopeful that this will deter inattentive behaviour by other professional drivers," the judge said. "Driving remains a privilege. Not a right."