Truck driver found guilty in deadly crash that killed 4 on Laval highway

Truck driver Jagmeet Grewal has been found guilty of criminal negligence causing death after four people were killed on Highway 440 in 2019.

The verdict was handed down at the Laval courthouse Friday.

The tragedy happened on Aug. 5, 2019, when the 53-foot trailer, loaded with merchandise destined for the United States, failed to stop before rear-ending several cars at 100 km/h.

"Without any reaction, he drove directly into the queue of immobilized vehicles," the judgement by Judge Yanick Laramée states. "The impact caused a domino effect that led him to collide destructively with multiple vehicles, including another tractor-trailer."

The collision, which caused a major fire, resulted in the deaths of four people: Robert Tanguay-Plante, Sylvain Pouliot, Michèle Bernier and Gilles Marsolais.

Grewal has also been found guilty of criminal negligence causing bodily harm to four others involved in the crash.

In total, 15 people were injured during the incident.

The prosecution argued Grewal should neever have been driving a truck in the first place because his trucker permit had been revoked.

The 57-year-old had lost his Class-1 licence in 2014 after he was involved in a major collision two years earlier, causing him to suffer from post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD).

After several attempts to get his licence back, Quebec's automobile insurance board, the Société de l'assurance automobile du Québec (SAAQ), approved the request.

Due to privacy restrictions, the agents did not have access to medical records that showed he was deemed permanently unfit to drive.