Oregon, USA: An Indian man who entered the United States illegally three years ago has been charged with homicide after a fatal crash in Oregon left two people dead. Rajinder Kumar, 32, faces charges of criminally negligent homicide and reckless endangering after his semi-truck collided with a car driven by 25-year-old William Micah Carter. Passenger Jennifer Lynn Lower, 24, was also killed in the accident.
According to the Oregon State Police, the crash occurred on the night of November 24 in Deschutes County. Preliminary findings indicate that Kumar’s freightliner truck was stopped in a jackknifed position, blocking both lanes of the roadway. Carter’s vehicle, travelling at highway speed, slammed into the trailer, which was positioned perpendicular to the lanes. Both victims died at the scene, while Kumar escaped uninjured.
Authorities noted that darkness and the absence of active emergency warning equipment likely contributed to the crash. The highway remained shut for nearly seven hours during the investigation.
Kumar has been booked into the Deschutes County Jail. The US Department of Homeland Security (DHS) confirmed that Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) has issued an arrest detainer for him. DHS officials described Kumar as having entered the US illegally near Lukeville, Arizona, on November 28, 2022. He was later issued a commercial driver’s licence in California.
Assistant Secretary Tricia McLaughlin criticised what she called “sanctuary policies,” alleging that illegal entrants were being allowed to operate heavy commercial vehicles, resulting in avoidable tragedies.
This case marks the fourth recent instance of Indian nationals who entered the US illegally being involved in serious or fatal highway crashes while driving trucks. Earlier incidents include three vehicular homicides in Florida linked to Harjinder Singh, a California pileup caused by Partap Singh that left a five-year-old girl critically injured, and an October crash in California in which Jashanpreet Singh killed three people while driving under the influence.
