Cattle truck and off-duty cop dodge head-on crash with Brampton trucker: police
Published May 28, 2024 at 9:43 am
Swerving into oncoming traffic and nearly causing a head-on crash has led to charges for a cattle truck driver from Brampton, police say.
The potentially deadly near-miss happened when the OPP says an off-duty officer was driving into work for a night shift around 5:30 p.m. on April 29 in Thessalon, approximately 90 kilometres southeast of Sault Ste. Marie.
Police say the officer was headed eastbound on Highway 17 behind a truck loaded with cattle when the driver of an oncoming tractor-trailer unit crossed the middle lane into wrong-way traffic.
The cattle truck driver took evasive action and pulled to the shoulder, evading the oncoming tractor-trailer and maintaining control of the vehicle after the cattle load had shifted, police said. The off-duty officer also allegedly had to move out of the way, causing them to nearly roll over into a ditch.
Police say the incident left debris scattered across the roadway, however, the driver of the oncoming truck didn’t stop and kept travelling on Highway 17.
Nearly a month later, investigators say dash camera footage captured from the cattle truck led to the arrest of a 32-year-old trucker on May 25.
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The OPP says Jagvinder Singh Dhindsa, 32, of Brampton has been charged with multiple offences including dangerous operation, careless driving, speeding, and several related to commercial vehicle records and inspections.
The accused is scheduled to make a court appearance in Elliot Lake on July 11.
Anyone who witnesses an incident on Ontario highways is asked to contact the OPP by calling 1-888-310-1122 when safe to do so or dial 911 in an emergency. You can also file a RoadWatch report to Peel Regional Police.
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