Driver Charged After Fatal Accident on Interstate 80

A semi-truck driver, who is an immigrant, has been arrested after a tragic incident in late June that resulted in the death of a man in Chicago.

The fatal accident took place during the early hours of June 24. A 24-year-old named Sebastian Stone had pulled over on Interstate 80, near Torrence Street, to change a flat tire. As he was doing this, he was struck by a semi-truck that did not stop after the impact, as reported by various sources.

Witnesses were quick to report the incident. When police arrived, they found Stone deceased on the roadside.

Details shared by onlookers included the truck’s license plate number, the name of the company displayed on the truck, and its company ID number. By 9 a.m., the police had already reviewed the license plate data and statements from witnesses.

Authorities identified the truck driver as 34-year-old Kulgeet Khan, of Punjabi descent, a name that is quite common in the Sikh community.

There has been no information disclosed about Mr. Khan’s immigration status.

Investigators reached out to the company employing Khan to inform them of the incident. An official from the company called Khan’s cell phone to alert him that he was wanted in connection with the accident. While Khan picked up, he apparently hung up without communicating anything further and subsequently did not respond to additional calls.

After hours of reviewing dashcam footage from the truck and Khan’s phone records, police were able to locate and arrest him.

Authorities stated that during the crash, Khan was seen looking at his phone and failed to stop or offer assistance after hitting Stone.

A judge has granted custody to the state, charging Khan with reckless homicide and leaving the scene of a fatal accident.

In the wake of this incident, Sikh truck drivers—many of whom have immigrated to the United States in large numbers for truck driving jobs—report experiencing increased anti-immigrant sentiment, especially after media coverage highlighted the involvement of Sikh drivers in a series of fatal accidents nationwide.

The North American Punjab Truck Drivers Association estimates that about 40 percent of truck drivers on the West Coast and 20 percent nationally are Sikh, suggesting that around 150,000 Sikh truck drivers are currently working in the United States.