THUNDER BAY — Pritam Singh gave evidence in an honest, non-combative and non-evasive manner and should be found not guilty of dangerous operation causing death, argued his defence lawyer.
Closing submissions in the case against Singh, who was charged in February 2024 in relation to a 2022 collision involving two tractor-trailers and a snowplow, were heard on Wednesday.
The accused was on the stand Tuesday testifying through two translators. His lawyer, Lalit Kalra, said that Singh was “genuinely trying to recall” the events that took place the night of Dec. 2, 2022.
Kalra said that the death of the snowplow driver as a result of the collision was an unfortunate consequence, but that there is no evidence to suggest negligence on the part of the truck driver.
There was agreement throughout the trial that Singh was not sleep-deprived or under the influence of any drugs or alcohol. The court also heard him testify that he was not on his phone or eating while driving at the time of the collision or otherwise.
Kalra said that this case is a civil one, not a criminal case.
Crown attorney, Patrick Quilty, submitted that the speed at which Singh was driving indicated a marked departure from what a reasonable person operating a tractor trailer should have been executing while going down a known hill in winter conditions.
The Crown cited the engine control module (ECM) data submitted as evidence in the case shows Singh was travelling at 107 kilometres per hour as he descended the hill and saw his trailer swing out on the bridge and into the snowplow.
He said that even with a slight inaccuracy of this ECM data, all data together shows that Singh was going too fast. He said that truck drivers, whose vehicles are slower to stop and more dangerous than any other vehicle on the road, must be held to a higher standard of safety.
For this reason, Quilty said Singh should be found guilty.
Justice Bruce Fitzpatrick said he will review all the evidence and call the accused and the lawyers back to a Thunder Bay courtroom at the end of the summer to deliver his decision.
None of the allegations against the accused have been proven in court.
