An Indian national who allegedly crossed into the US illegally three years ago has been charged with homicide after the semi-truck he was driving crashed into a car in Oregon, killing two people — the fourth such incident involving an Indian driver in recent months.Rajinder Kumar, 32, has been charged with criminally negligent homicide and reckless endangerment. The victims — William Micah Carter, 25, and Jennifer Lynn Lower, 24 — were pronounced dead at the scene. Kumar, who was reportedly intoxicated, escaped uninjured.The crash occurred on November 24 in Deschutes County, Oregon. According to the Oregon State Police, officers responding to the scene found a freightliner truck and trailer “stopped in a jackknifed position, blocking both lanes of travel.” A car travelling at highway speed struck the trailer, which was positioned perpendicular to the road.Police said dark conditions and the absence of active emergency warning equipment were key factors in the collision, which shut down the highway for about seven hours during the investigation.The driver was arrested for criminally negligent homicide and reckless endangering. He has been lodged in the Deschutes County Jail.‘Kumar a criminal illegal; released into US under Biden’: DHSThe Department of Homeland Security (DHS) described Rajinder Kumar as a “criminal illegal” from India, stating that he entered the US unlawfully through Lukeville, Arizona, on November 28, 2022.“Kumar was released into our country under the Biden administration and issued a commercial driver’s license by Gavin Newsom’s Department of Motor Vehicles. How many more senseless tragedies must take place before sanctuary politicians stop allowing illegal aliens to dangerously operate semi-trucks on America’s roads?” Assistant Secretary Tricia McLaughlin said, blaming California’s Democratic governor Gavin Newsom and former President Joe Biden, also a Democrat.The case is the latest in a series of fatal or serious crashes involving Indian nationals driving commercial trucks.In August, Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE), which comes under DHS, lodged an arrest detainer for Harjinder Singh after he was charged with three counts of vehicular homicide while driving a semi-truck in Florida. That same month, ICE arrested Partap Singh, accused of causing a multi-vehicle pileup in California that left five-year-old Dalilah Coleman with critical, life-altering injuries.In October, ICE issued a detainer for Jashanpreet Singh, who allegedly killed three people in California while driving an 18-wheeler under the influence.(With PTI inputs)
