Man Charged in Fiery Crash That Killed Palo Alto Family

Eighteen months after a horrific crash that killed a Palo Alto family of four along a stretch of scenic Canadian  highway, charges have been filed against the driver of the big rig that jack-knifed and engulfed the family car in flames.

According to The Columbia Valley Pioneer, charges were filed Jan. 14 against Vancouver resident Jaswinder Singh Bagri, 41, for the crash in Kootenay National Park.  The charges include with four counts of dangerous driving causing death.

Robert Howard, 48, his wife Ana-Maria Dias, 50, and their two daughters Veronica, 9, and Samantha, 11, when their vehicle was hit by a Singh's jack-knifing tractor-trailer, that pinned their camper van and the sport vehicle it was towing, against a guardrail, and burst into flames. 

The newspaper quotes Columbia Valley RCMP Staff Sergeant Marko Shehovac, “We do go to a lot of accidents, but it is not very often that we go to an accident where a whole family is killed.”

Indeed, the tragedy caused a wave of sympathy in the area, and back home. The Howard-Dias family was mourned in services in Mountain View and Palo Alto.

Shehovac concluded, “I think these are appropriate charges given the investigation.”

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