Indian trucker Sukhwinder Sidhu pleads guilty in 2023 crash killing Olympian skater in Ontario, was driving for 26 hours

31-year-old Sukhwinder Sidhu, an Indian-origin trucker in Ontario, pleaded guilty before the trial of the August 2023 crash is scheduled to begin this month. Olympic figure skater Alexandra Paul was killed in the crash as Sidhu’s speeding truck crashed into the back of several vehicles, including Paul’s. It was a multiple-vehicle pileup caused by Sidhu, who ignored the signs to slow down. Paul’s young son was taken to the hospital with a broken leg and others involved in the crash received life-altering injuries. Sidhu was charged with dangerous driving causing death and bodily harm, the trial of which was scheduled to begin Tuesday. Sidhu pleaded guilty ahead of the trial and accepted responsibility for the crash.Investigators said Sidhu was speeding in a transport truck in a construction zone and he was going nearly double the posted 60km/h speed limit before slamming into a lineup of six vehicles. The Crown said Sidhu had been working for 26 hours and the truck was recorded travelling near its 108 km/h top speed.

Who was Alexandra Paul?

Alexandra Paul and her ice dance partner and husband Mitch Islam represented Barrie and Canada in ice dance at the 2014 Olympic Games in Russia. Paul was a decorated figure skating star at the Mariposa School of Skating in Barrie. After retiring from skating, Paul became a practicing lawyer in Barrie, working for Barriston Law. Paul was posthumously inducted into the Barrie Sports Hall of Fame in 2024 alongside Islam.