Trucker who sparked deadly Laval, Que., pileup guilty of dangerous driving causing death
A trucker who plowed into traffic on Highway 440 in Laval, Que., causing a massive pileup that killed four people, has been found guilty of dangerous driving causing death.
In her decision, Quebec court judge Yanick Laramée said Jagmeet Grewal, a truck driver who failed to brake as his truck approached a line of vehicles on August 5, 2019, was negligent that day — both because he wasn't paying attention to the road and wasn't supposed to be driving.
Grewal wasn't looking at the road for 10 seconds — a long moment, when driving a truck, according to the judge — when he drove into the vehicles, causing a chain of impacts that sparked a fire and closed the highway for several hours.
He was also not supposed to be driving that day.
His licence was suspended due to health issues by the Société de l'assurance automobile du Québec (SAAQ), Quebec's automobile insurance board, in 2014.
He only received another licence because of communication problems at the SAAQ.
The judge said Grewal knew he wasn't allowed to drive and had lied to his employer.
