An Indian-origin truck driver has been sentenced to six years in prison in Canada after admitting that he was playing a mobile game when his tractor-trailer caused a crash that killed a mother and her 11-year-old son.
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Quebec Court Judge Sacha Blais sentenced Baljeet Singh, who turns 30 on Saturday, at Longueuil courthouse on Wednesday, according to French-language media outlet Noovo Info.
With credit for time already spent in custody, Singh will serve four years, four months and four days. He has also been banned from driving for 10 years.
Singh pleaded guilty in April to dangerous driving causing death and dangerous driving causing bodily harm. The charges stemmed from a seven-vehicle pileup on Highway 30 in Brossard on July 19, 2022.
Nancy Lefrançois, 42, died at the scene, while her son, Loïc Chevalier, 11, died in hospital. Several other people were injured.
Singh was driving a 53-foot tractor-trailer as traffic slowed near a construction zone close to Grande-Allée Boulevard. He admitted that he was playing Ludo on his phone and was not watching the road when the collision occurred.
The judge described Singh's use of the phone as an aggravating factor and said his conduct showed disregard for other people's lives.
“Using [the phone] to play a video game shows a total lack of judgment,” Blais said.
Singh's guilty plea, lack of previous convictions and expressions of remorse were considered mitigating factors. The judge said his remorse appeared sincere but placed the sentence towards the upper end of the applicable range because of the consequences of the crash.
The court also heard that Singh initially met investigators voluntarily after the collision and said he could not remember what had happened. He then left for India and deleted his social media accounts, according to an agreed statement of facts presented in court.
A Canada-wide arrest warrant was issued in 2024. Singh was arrested in the United States on August 21 last year before being returned to Canada.
After his return, Singh acknowledged to Quebec police that he had been playing Ludo when the crash happened and accepted responsibility.
Evidence from his truck's dashboard camera also showed more than 40 traffic violations during his final three trips. Investigators said he repeatedly used his cellphone while driving, changed lanes improperly and exceeded permitted driving hours by failing to take mandatory rest periods.
Lefrancois's husband, Benoit Lavoie, was also seriously injured. He suffered a collapsed lung, fractured ribs, a concussion, head trauma and scalp injuries, and spent three weeks in a coma.
