A petition has gained around 2.5 million signatures, urging officials in Florida to reconsider their stance on Haljinder Singh, an undocumented truck driver facing serious charges related to a crash that resulted in three fatalities. Posted on change.org, the petition is directed at Florida Governor Ron DeSantis and calls for a review of Singh’s ongoing lawsuit. He is currently charged with three counts of vehicular homicide as well as three counts of manslaughter related to the tragic incident that occurred on August 12.
Singh, who is 28, was allegedly operating a commercial semi-truck on the Florida Turnpike in Fort Pierce when a collision with a minivan resulted in the deaths of all three passengers inside the minivan. Reports indicate that after the crash, Singh and a passenger, Harneet Singh, fled to California.
On August 16, authorities arrested Singh in Stockton, California, before extraditing him back to Florida. A judge recently denied him bail, branding him a significant flight risk due to the severity of his charges, which are classified as felonies under Florida law.
The petition emphasizes that while accountability is essential, the gravity of the charges does not align with the nature of the accident, highlighting the idea that it may have been an unintentional event rather than a deliberate act. If found guilty, the petition advocates for a fair and reasonable sentence, suggesting alternatives like counseling and community service instead of incarceration.
Interestingly, the petition has garnered support from an organization called “Youth of Collective Punjab.” Authorities have suggested that Singh entered the U.S. unlawfully through the southern border in 2018, later acquiring a commercial driver’s license in California. His request for legal work permission was denied by the Trump administration in 2020.
This week, Secretary of State Marco Rubio announced the suspension of working visas for foreign commercial truck drivers, further complicating Singh’s case. As of now, there has been no response from Governor DeSantis regarding this situation.
