St. Lucie County, Fla. — A humanitarian group announced a $100,000 donation to families of victims killed in a crash involving a semi-truck driven by an undocumented individual.
During a press conference on Tuesday, attorney Gurpatwant Pannun of Sikhs for Justice confirmed the donation, which will be directed to the office of Governor Ron DeSantis. “Our prayers are with the families and we stand in solidarity with them,” Pannun stated.
The incident occurred on the Turnpike near mile marker 171 when Harjinder Singh, 28, attempted an illegal U-turn in a restricted access area. His trailer crossed all northbound lanes, colliding with a 2015 Chrysler Town & Country minivan, which resulted in the deaths of all three occupants.
Singh, facing three counts of vehicular homicide, is currently in the custody of the St. Lucie County Sheriff's Office after being returned from California. Pannun indicated he is not representing Singh in legal matters but speaks for the advocacy group.
Pannun emphasized that Singh's actions were the result of a tragic misjudgment rather than intent to harm. Following the crash, Singh reportedly attempted to assist victims before returning to California, where he was subsequently retrieved by Florida authorities.
Florida Lt. Governor Jay Collins defended the decision to escort Singh back to face charges, noting the severity of the incident and the loss of life involved.