After a one-year investigation, Pennsylvania State Police investigators at Butler County charged a truck driver with homicide by vehicle. The semi-truck driver, 30-year-old Karandeep Singh, of Calgary, Canada was involved in a fatal trucking accident in 2021. that killed two people and injured two.
Nov. 2. 2021. near Muddy Creek Township, Butler County, the semi-truck was driving on Interstate 79 North. The driver, Karandeep Singh was leaving a truck stop. He was continuing to drive a defective vehicle in the right lane when a school bus hit him from behind.
The bus was transporting 13 students home from Lincoln Park Performing Arts Charter School in Midland, Beaver County. The speed of the bus was 67 miles per hour. The speed limit for the road was 70 miles per hour.
The semi-truck was carrying a loaded flatbed trailer. The speed of the truck was just 18 miles per hour.
Four students were injured in this collision. Two students were taken to UPMC Children’s Hospital in Pittsburgh where they received emergency medical treatment. Brylee Walker, 14 of Hermitage, and school bus driver, Lindsey Thompkins, 31, of Aliquippa were pronounced dead at the scene. In their report, the police stated that collision impact was the cause of death.
The truck driver was not injured in the accident.
State trooper and motor enforcement inspected both vehicles on November 11. On that occasion, the presence of several “violations were present on the truck tractor at the time of the crash that would have resulted in an out-of-service order for the truck.” A mechanical problem was found on the semi-truck that prevented the vehicle from developing the speed required on highways.
After an investigation that lasted a year, the Pennsylvania State Police concluded that the semi-truck driver, Karandeep Singh, was negligent in continuing to drive a defective vehicle. This negligence put other traffic participants at risk and caused a fatal traffic accident. The police filed 27 charges against the truck driver, including homicide and aggravated assault by vehicle, and reckless driving. The driver is also accused of operating unsafe equipment and traveling too slowly for road conditions.
Karandeep Singh is not in custody. Since he is a Canadian citizen, the police will demand his extradition from Canada to the USA.
As a result of bringing Karandeep Singh to justice, this fatal trucking accident in 2021 will have a judicial epilogue.
