Punjab-origin man pleads guilty to truck crash
TORONTO: An Indo-canadian truck driver has pleaded guilty in causing a major accident in April 2017, that led to the death of 16 persons, mainly belonging to a youth ice hockey squad, a tragedy that, at the time, had plunged Canada into a state of national mourning.
Appearing before a judge in a court in the town of Melfort in the province of Saskatchewan, 29-year-old Jaskirat Singh Sidhu’s decision in opting to plead guilty for the collision, that left several members of the Humboldt Broncos team dead and 13 others injured, was taken as he wanted to spare the families of the victims further suffering.
Following the submission of the plea, Sidhu appeared outside the premises of the court, flanked by his lawyers. He did not raise his head as his lawyer read out a brief statement explaining the reason for the plea. Defence lawyer Mark Brayford said Sidhu’s action was taken since he did not want to plea bargain, an attempt to reduce the punishment, or to have a trial, as the driver informed him, “I can’t make things any better, I don’t want to make things worse.”
In a video of the statement from the Canadian network Global News, the lawyer said, “He’s overwhelmed by the expressions of sympathy and kindness some of the families and players have expressed to him in spite of the fact their grief is his fault, and he’s very sorry for that.”