‘Was here for better future’: Friend recalls life of Indian Trucker involved in California crash

A 21-year-old Indian national, identified as Jashanpreet Singh, had been arrested in connection with a deadly semi-truck crash in Ontario, California, that claimed three lives and left four others injured.

According to the US Department of Homeland Security, Singh had entered the United States illegally and was allegedly driving under the influence at the time of the accident.

Speaking to US media, Singh’s friend Gurjot Malhar shared that Singh had come to the US hoping for a better future and described him as a kind and cheerful person who cared deeply for others.

Malhar said Singh had always dreamed of improving his life and saw truck driving as a major step toward achieving that goal. He added that life in the US had been challenging for Singh, noting that earning a living was far harder than he had expected when he left India.

Authorities are still investigating whether Singh held a valid commercial driver’s license during the incident. The crash comes just months after the US government halted the issuance of worker visas for commercial truck drivers in August.