Man charged in crash that killed mother of two

Hey there, time traveller!
This article was published 16/08/2023 (801 days ago), so information in it may no longer be current.

A Winnipeg man has been charged with criminal negligence and impaired driving in connection with a crash that killed a mother of two in December.

Nicholas Primo Baldovi, 21, turned himself in to police on Aug. 8 and remains in custody.

He has not been convicted of any crimes in Manitoba, court records show.

Sarbjit Gill, 42, was turning north onto King Edward Street from eastbound Inkster Boulevard when she was struck and killed by a truck travelling westbound at about 12:30 a.m. on Dec. 10.

A suspect was found at the scene and taken to hospital in stable condition.

Police say their investigation determined the suspect was driving a 2014 Dodge Ram 1500 that went through a red light and collided with Gill’s SUV.

Investigators believe speed and alcohol were factors, the Winnipeg Police Service said Wednesday.

Gill, a mother of 14-year-old twins, had been working two jobs to provide for her children and save for a new house.

She was returning home from a shift at a Canada Post processing plant on the night of the incident, her husband told the Free Press in December.

“My whole life, even the last second of my life, she will be with me,” Sukhwinder Gill said at the time. “My kids, I have to be strong for them. I just pray to God, give me strength.”

The family, originally from India’s Punjab state, arrived in Canada in 2012 and settled in Winnipeg.

“I love Sarbjit. She was my staff and we are all still devastated. We will be devastated for life,” Racquel Giesbrecht director of Children at the Centre, said Wednesday after news about the charges being laid broke.

“There is nothing that can fix that, but I think this will bring great comfort… knowing that there is some kind of justice.”

Gill worked at the centre as a child-care provider.

“She was such an amazing person, who was working two jobs and worked so hard. She was just on her way home from work. It’s just so tragic,” Giesbrecht said, adding she has remained in contact with Sukhwinder.

In the spring, Gill’s family travelled back to India with her ashes, she said.

An online fundraiser generated nearly $15,000 in support of the family.

“Sarbjit was an early childhood educator that devoted her energy, time and essence to educating the youngest people in our world. She loved and cared for them as her own,” the fundraiser states. “The funds will be used to start a (registered education savings plan) account for her two children, so they receive the same privilege Sarbjit offered children—the gift of education.”

It has a target of $40,000.

Baldovi is scheduled to make an administrative court appearance on Sept. 6.

“His life is ruined too, and his family’s, so I am heartbroken for both sides,” Giesbrecht said.

Sukhwinder was not available to comment Wednesday.

— with files from Erik Pindera

tyler.searle@freepress.mb.ca