Semi-trailer driver charged in fatal crash near Altona

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This article was published 21/11/2024 (315 days ago), so information in it may no longer be current.

A grief-stricken family was ready to forgive the man charged in a fatal collision until he evaded investigators, leading police to issue a Canada-wide warrant for his arrest.

Navjeet Singh, 25, of Brampton, Ont., was charged Wednesday with two counts of dangerous driving causing death and a single count of obstructing a peace officer.

Police said Singh was behind the wheel of a semi-trailer when it plowed through an intersection near Altona last week and struck an SUV, killing Sara Unger, 35, and her eight-year-old daughter Alexa.

“It’s such a redirection of our attention. It is so unnecessary. I thought this guy must have felt guilt, must have felt remorse,” said Suzy Thiessen, the victims’ sister-in-law and aunt.

“We want to forgive, but now he is evading and it’s just so hard… to think that he wants forgiveness when he is not taking responsibility.”

Singh was taken to hospital after the crash, but was treated and released before giving a statement to police. Investigators scheduled a meeting with him later, but he failed to show up, RCMP Sgt. Paul Manaigre said Thursday.

“Someone might ask us, ‘Why didn’t you hold him?’ Well, we don’t have the legal right to,” Manaigre said.

“When there are fatalities involved, you want to make sure your investigation is sound when those charges are laid. You don’t want to go through all that work and then lose everything in court.”

Singh was expected to remain in Winnipeg with a friend while RCMP examined the crash site and the possibility of criminal charges, but police lost contact with him within the last day or so.

Investigators spoke to his friend, who said Singh left to talk with a lawyer and never returned, Manaigre said.

It is unclear whether Singh retained legal counsel, he said.

Police do not know whether Singh is in the Winnipeg area, or possibly fled the city and province. He is subject to a Canada-wide warrant, meaning any peace officer in the country can legally detain him.

Police said Singh holds a valid Ontario driver’s licence. They did not confirm whether he is a Canadian citizen.

His citizenship status, driving record, qualifications and educational background will all form part of the investigation, Manaigre said.

Police said early on that charges were anticipated in the crash, which happened at the intersection of provincial roads 201 and 306 shortly after 7 p.m. on Nov. 15.

Police said Singh was travelling east on PR 201 when he blew past a stop sign and crashed into the southbound SUV driven by Sara Unger. Police said she died at the scene, about 13 kilometres west of Altona.

Her daughter, the lone passenger, died after being airlifted to Health Sciences Centre.

A woman who was travelling behind the Ungers’ SUV told investigators the truck appeared to be travelling at high speed, police said previously. Both provincial roads have speed limits of 100 km/h in the area.

PR 201 has rumble strips and yellow warning signs in both directions instructing drivers to slow down and stop at the intersection.

“Sara was an amazing woman,” Thiessen said, fighting through tears.

“You were never not welcome in her house. You would walk in at any point and she would be doing something in the kitchen with the family, she would be welcoming you with smiles,”

The mother of two leaves behind a 10-year-old son and her husband Peter Unger, who is Thiessen’s brother.

She was very involved in her Christian faith and led Sunday-school programs at her church, Thiessen said.

“Alexa was a little spitfire,” she said, describing her niece.

“She was sassy, full of energy and always willing to give a hug to anybody. She was a very independent little girl and she had her own thoughts and wasn’t afraid to say them. She was just always full of laughs. She loved princess things and was just a girly-girl.”

The Ungers are dealing with their grief day by day, with support from their community in the RM of Rhineland, she said.

An online fundraiser has raised nearly $17,000.

Community members are helping prepare food, make funeral arrangements and purchase dress clothes for the family, she said.

“I feel like God took two angels, but then in return, he sent an army to Peter,” she said.

“He asked me, ‘How do I raise this child alone?’ I said, you don’t. You were never meant to raise a child alone. You have an entire community and family that will help you every step of the way.”

The family is asking for Singh to take accountability.

“What we want is just for him to come and show that he is sorry,” Thiessen said.

A spokesperson for Manitoba Transportation and Infrastructure’s traffic engineering branch said it will examine the intersection as part of a standard fatal collision review, “with a special focus on road-safety features, signage and sightlines to determine if improvements are required.”

Rhineland Reeve Don Wiebe said local officials would advocate for larger stop signs, flashing lights or “whatever it takes” to make the intersection safer.

Wiebe said Peter Unger is a firefighter in the area and his family is well-known.

Thiessen said her brother and father also have experience as truck drivers.

The collision, which is one of the latest tragedies involving tractor-trailers on Canadian highways, has raised concerns over the qualification and training requirements expected of transport-truck drivers, she said, adding it may be time for government officials and industry leaders to review regulation and oversight standards in the industry.

“How many wives, how many daughters, how many sisters have to die to get things done properly?” she said.

tyler.searle@freepress.mb.ca