An Indian-origin truck driver, Jaskirat Singh Sidhu, who caused a deadly crash which killed 16 people in Canada’s Saskatchewan province in 2018 has lost his bid to stay in the country.
Jaskirat Singh Sidhu was sentenced to eight years in prison after his semi-trailer truck failed to stop at a highway intersection on April 6, 2018, killing 16 people and injuring 13 on the bus carrying the Humboldt Broncos hockey team and others enroute to a playoff game.
A judge dismissed the application from Sidhu on Thursday where he pleaded guilty to the dangerous driving charges, thereby losing his bid to stay in Canada.
Sidhu was new to truck driving and had been on the job less than a month before the tragedy in 2018, according to CTV News.
His lawyer, Michael Greene, argued before the Federal Court in September that border services officials did not consider Sidhu’s previously clean criminal record and remorse.
Chief Justice Paul Crampton wrote in his decision that border officials were fair in their assessment and addressed both Sidhu’s record and “extraordinary degree of genuine, heart-wrenching remorse.”
“The officer’s decision was appropriately justified, transparent and intelligible,” the report cited Crampton’s decision. The judge said Sidhu now faces removal to India after spending years of hard work establishing a life with his wife in Canada.
He added that Sidhu can still ask to be allowed to stay on humanitarian and compassionate grounds, according to the report. Toby Boulet, whose 21-year-old son, Logan, was killed in the crash, said that he doesn’t want Sidhu in Canada.
What Happened in April 2018?
On April 6, 2018, Sidhu’s semi-trailer truck failed to stop at a highway intersection, killing 16 people and injuring 13 on the bus carrying the Humboldt Broncos hockey team and others en route to a playoff game.
Sidhu received a sentence of eight years for each fatality and five years for each person injured, to be served concurrently (at the same time). He pleaded guilty to 29 counts of dangerous driving causing death or bodily injury.
According to an agreed statement of facts, Sidhu was solely responsible for the crash. A forensic collision report found he didn’t brake at the intersection of Highway 335 and 35 before hitting the bus.
The driver was granted parole earlier this year, and the Canada Border Services Agency had recommended he be deported to India, the CBC reported on Thursday.
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