Language of Tragedy: The Story of Harjinder Singh Who was Involved in Fatal Florida Crash That Claimed Three Lives
- Despite his immigration status and apparent language barriers, Singh managed to obtain commercial driver's licenses in two states.
A devastating highway crash in Florida that claimed three lives has revealed alarming deficiencies in how commercial driver’s licenses are issued to individuals with limited English proficiency, raising urgent questions about road safety and immigration policy enforcement.
On April 12, 2024, what should have been a routine drive on Florida’s Turnpike turned deadly when truck driver Harjinder Singh attempted an illegal U-turn through a section marked “Official Use Only” approximately 50 miles north of West Palm Beach. His massive tractor-trailer blocked all northbound lanes, leaving an approaching minivan with no chance to avoid collision.
The impact was catastrophic. Two passengers in the minivan died at the scene, while the driver succumbed to injuries at a local hospital. Singh and his passenger walked away uninjured, but the aftermath would expose a troubling web of regulatory failures and immigration enforcement gaps.
Shocking Test Results
In the investigation following the crash, federal transportation officials made a disturbing discovery. When the Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration tested Singh’s English language proficiency—a legal requirement for commercial drivers—he answered just two out of 12 questions correctly, according to the U.S. Department of Transportation.
The results were equally alarming when Singh was asked to identify highway signs and their meanings. Of four signs shown to him, he could correctly identify only one, despite federal law requiring CDL holders to speak English “sufficiently” to converse with the public and read road signs.
“This crash was a preventable tragedy directly caused by reckless decisions and compounded by despicable failures,” Transportation Secretary Sean Duffy said in a statement released Tuesday. “Non-enforcement and radical immigration policies have turned the trucking industry into a lawless frontier, resulting in unqualified foreign drivers improperly acquiring licenses to operate 40-ton vehicles.”
Singh’s path to obtaining commercial driving privileges reveals the complexity of America’s immigration system. According to sources cited by the New York Post, Singh entered the United States illegally from Mexico in 2018 and was nearly deported that same year after being detained at the border. However, he was released on $5,000 bond in January 2019 after telling U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services that he feared returning to India.
His case became entangled in immigration proceedings that stretched across two presidential administrations. The Trump administration denied his work permit application in September 2020, but he was granted one in June 2021 under the Biden presidency—a timeline that sparked a heated exchange on social media between California Governor Gavin Newsom’s office and the Department of Homeland Security.
The tragedy has prompted swift action from federal officials. Transportation Secretary Duffy, who signed an order in May to strengthen English proficiency requirements for commercial drivers, promised a thorough investigation.
Licensing Across State Lines
Despite his immigration status and apparent language barriers, Singh managed to obtain commercial driver’s licenses in two states. He received his Washington CDL in 2023 and his California license in 2024, according to the Department of Transportation.
California is among 19 states, plus the District of Columbia, that issue driver’s licenses regardless of immigration status, according to the National Immigration Law Center.
Supporters argue these policies provide essential access to employment, healthcare, and education. However, critics point to cases like Singh’s as evidence of dangerous gaps in the system.
The licensing discrepancies raise questions about how Singh passed the required tests. California administers CDL tests only in English, while Washington allows tests in English, Spanish, Russian, or Serbian-Croatian. The DOT has indicated it intends to investigate how Singh obtained licenses despite his apparent inability to meet federal English proficiency requirements.
The tragedy has prompted swift action from federal officials. Transportation Secretary Duffy, who signed an order in May to strengthen English proficiency requirements for commercial drivers, promised a thorough investigation.
“We will use every tool at our disposal to hold these states and bad actors accountable. President Trump and I will restore safety to our roads,” Duffy stated.
The incident has also reignited debates about immigration policy and state versus federal authority. Tricia McLaughlin, a Department of Homeland Security spokesperson, called issuing commercial licenses to individuals in the country illegally “asinine,” while defenders of inclusive licensing policies argue they improve overall road safety by ensuring all drivers are trained and tested.
Legal Proceedings
Singh now faces serious legal consequences for the April crash. He has been charged with three state counts of vehicular homicide and immigration violations. U.S. Marshals arrested him in California on Saturday, and the federal government has requested he be transferred to Immigration and Customs Enforcement custody after his criminal case concludes.
The case continues to develop as investigators work to understand how multiple systems designed to protect public safety failed so catastrophically.
The Florida tragedy raises fundamental questions about the intersection of immigration policy and public safety. How do federal English proficiency requirements get enforced across different states? What responsibilities do states have when issuing licenses to individuals with uncertain immigration status? And how can the commercial trucking industry—vital to America’s economy—balance inclusivity with safety?
As the legal proceedings against Singh move forward, these questions will likely fuel ongoing debates about immigration, federalism, and road safety policy. For the families of the three victims, however, no policy changes can undo the preventable tragedy that took their loved ones’ lives on a Florida highway.