Did Washington State Agency Action Contribute To Deadly Accident?

Details that are coming out in the aftermath of tragic accident in the State of Florida last week appear to involve an action taken by a Washington State agency.  The accident happened around 3pm Eastern time last Tuesday, August 12th, when a semi-truck driver attempted to make an illegal U-turn.

While making the turn, a Chrysler Town & Country mini van with five people inside crashed into the truck.  Three of the five in the mini van died.  The driver was identified as 28 year-old Harjinder Singh.  During the investigation Florida State Troopers, working with ICE (Immigration & Customs Enforcement), discovered Singh has been in the Country illegally since 2018.

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Singh, who was driving for White Hawk Carriers, was arrested in California and extradited to Florida to face three charges of vehicular homicide. More information released yesterday by U.S. Department of Transportation Secretary Sean Duffy established a tie between Singh and Washington State.

Washington State's Department of Licensing Acted Improperly

In his announcement, Duffy said Singh had illegally obtained a regular full term CDL license in Washington State on July 15th of 2023.  Duffy went on to say the Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration (FMCSA) is looking into the driver and the trucking company.

Duffy also explained Washington State's violation.  Asylum seekers and people in the Country illegally (as Singh is) are not eligible to hold full term CDL licenses.  The FCMSA will be looking in what Duffy described as 'failures' at the Washington State DOL that led to Singh getting a CDL.

Duffy went on to say

If states had followed the rules, this driver would never have been behind the wheel and three precious lives would still be with us. This crash was a preventable tragedy directly caused by reckless decisions and compounded by despicable failures.