An Ontario truck driver, Navjeet Singh, has been released on bail after avoiding Canadian authorities for over nine months following a fatal crash that took the lives of a mother and her eight-year-old daughter in Manitoba. Singh, 26, was granted bail with conditions such as surrendering his passport and driver’s license, refraining from sitting in the driver’s seat of a vehicle, residing at a specified address in Ontario, and reporting weekly to Manitoba police. The bail decision came after a contested hearing before Judge Michael Clark on August 28.
Singh was apprehended at Toronto’s Pearson International Airport a week prior, upon arriving in Canada from an Ethiopian Airlines flight. The charges against him include dangerous operation of a motor vehicle causing death stemming from the November 15, 2024, crash that claimed the lives of Sara Unger, 35, and her daughter, Alexa, near Altona, Manitoba.
During the bail hearing, Crown attorney Michael Himmelman stated that investigators believed Singh was driving at a speed of at least 91 km/h in a 100 km/h zone when he disregarded a stop sign, colliding with Unger’s SUV. The court learned from a recording of the bail hearing that the highway conditions were normal that evening, with no environmental concerns reported.
Witnesses described the collision as an “explosion,” with the SUV being propelled over 53 meters due to the impact. Himmelman highlighted that Singh’s truck’s black box was turned off during the crash, and there were suspicions of falsified driving logs, indicating potential driver fatigue as a contributing factor to the accident.
Despite Singh having no criminal record, the prosecutor argued that he posed a flight risk, especially since he was aware of the arrest warrant yet evaded authorities. However, Singh’s lawyer, Abhay Gautam, emphasized that his client returned to Canada voluntarily to face the charges, showing his willingness to cooperate with the legal process.
Gautam explained that Singh came to Canada as a student in 2020, obtained a work permit in 2022, and has been working as a truck driver since then. Singh’s family relies on his income for essential expenses, including his mother’s medications. The court acknowledged the seriousness of the charges but ruled in favor of granting bail with stringent conditions to address any concerns.
Judge Clark emphasized that while the crash was tragic and the charges carried severe penalties if convicted, Singh was entitled to reasonable bail unless there was just cause to deny it. Singh’s case is scheduled for a court appearance in December, with ongoing monitoring and compliance to the bail conditions.
