Bathinda: A 30-year-old Punjab-origin truck driver has been sentenced to six years in prison in Canada for causing a crash that killed a mother and her 11-year-old son.A Quebec court sentenced Baljit Singh at the Longueuil courthouse on Wednesday for his role in the crash involving a tractor-trailer more than four years ago.Baljit has also been banned from driving for 10 years. The fatal crash occurred on July 19, 2022, following a seven-vehicle pile-up on a highway in Brossard.Baljit pleaded guilty in April 2026 to charges of dangerous driving causing death and bodily harm.The victims, identified as 42-year-old Nancy Lefrançois and her son, Loïc Chevalier, died in hospital, while several others were injured in the accident.According to Canadian media reports, Baljit was driving a 53-foot tractor-trailer when traffic slowed near a construction zone close to Grande-Allée Boulevard. He admitted in court that he was playing a game on his mobile phone when the collision occurred.The court described the use of a mobile phone while driving as an aggravating factor, noting that it demonstrated a disregard for the lives and safety of others.Baljit’s lack of prior convictions and expression of remorse were considered mitigating factors. However, the judge said that while the remorse appeared sincere, the severity of the consequences warranted a sentence at the upper end of the applicable range.The court also noted that Baljit voluntarily met investigators after the collision but later left for India after deleting his social media accounts, according to an agreed statement of facts presented in court.An arrest warrant was issued in 2024, and Singh was arrested in the United States on Aug 21, 2025, before being extradited to Canada.Evidence from the truck’s dashboard camera showed more than 40 traffic violations during his final three trips. Investigators found that he repeatedly used a cellphone while driving, changed lanes improperly and exceeded permitted driving hours by failing to take mandatory rest breaks.
