NEED TO KNOW
- The truck driver who caused a multi-vehicle crash that killed former Olympic figure skater Alexandra Paul and injured several others has been sentenced to two and a half years in prison
- Paul died on Aug. 22, 2023, after a transport truck collided with multiple vehicles in a construction zone in Ontario, Canada
- In addition to his prison sentence, Sukhwinder Sidhu received a seven-year driving ban
The truck driver who caused a multi-vehicle crash that killed former Olympic figure skater Alexandra Paul and injured several others has been sentenced to nearly three years in prison.
On Wednesday, May 13, Superior Court Justice Clayton Conlan in Orangeville, Ontario, Canada sentenced Sukhwinder Sidhu, 31, to two and a half years of jail time, according to CBC, Toronto Star and Toronto Sun. Sidhu was also given a seven-year driving ban, the outlets reported.
The sentencing came after Sidhu pleaded guilty in February to dangerous driving causing death and dangerous driving causing bodily harm, per Toronto Sun.
PEOPLE previously reported that Paul, 31, was killed in a car accident on Tuesday, Aug. 22, 2023, after a transport truck collided with multiple stopped vehicles in a construction zone in Ontario. Two other men and a woman were also hospitalized following the crash, police said at the time.
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The court was told that Paul and her 10-month-old son were in one of the seven cars involved in the collision, resulting in the baby sustaining a broken leg, per Toronto Sun and CBC.
Paul shared her son with figure-skating partner and husband Mitchell Islam, PEOPLE reported.
On Wednesday, the judge said that Sidhu had been given speeding penalties before the crash and had been working over 26 hours, with 16 of them being behind the wheel, per CBC.
Many injured victims and family members of Paul gave impact statements in court, the outlet reported.
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Islam said he had been waiting for his wife and son on the porch after the mother and son had been staying at a family cottage. However, after they failed to arrive and Paul didn’t answer her call, Islam decided he would go to look for them after tracking her iPad to a closed road, per CBC.
A police officer then arrived on his driveway just as he was about to leave, Islam recalled. “When the officer told me Alex was gone, it was crippling fog and numbness. I remember buckling into his arms,” he said in tears, per CBC.
Paul’s father, Gordon, said his daughter’s future “held unlimited possibilities” as she was succeeding at a career in law at the time of her death. “I didn’t get a chance to say goodbye,” he added. “I couldn’t give her another hug. She was just gone.”
Sidhu also addressed the court to apologize to the victims and loved ones of Paul, per CBC.
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He said that as a father of two young children, he “cannot imagine the pain” of Paul’s son growing up without his mother. “I know there is nothing I can say that will fix this or make the grief any better. I understand that an apology can never be enough for a loss like this,” Sidhu said.
He stated that he would change “in a heartbeat” if he could, CBC reported. “To every person who was injured or traumatized that day, I am deeply sorry. I know the pain and impact of what happened did not end when the crash ended,” he said.
While the decision took into account Sidhu’s character and the fact that he had no criminal record, the judge stated that his sentencing was appropriate due to his speeding record and his dangerous driving in a construction area, per CBC.
PEOPLE reached out to Superior Court Justice Clayton Conlan for further comment.
