Truck driver cited in Cheat Lake fatal crash now facing charges

Mar. 3—MORGANTOWN — An arrest warrant for negligent homicide has been issued to the driver of a semitruck whom police say caused the crash on the Cheat Lake Bridge in January that sent Kevin Lataille's car spiraling into the frigid waters 80 feet below.

Sukhjinder Singh, 37, of New York, was reportedly involved in a series of accidents on Interstate 68 during that snowy afternoon of Jan. 19, Monongalia County Sheriff Todd Forbes said — including the fatal collision that knocked Lataille's car off the bridge.

"Based on the findings of the investigation, law enforcement has determined that Sukjinder Singh was operating the suspect tractor in a reckless manner, striking multiple vehicles, including Lataille's, and driving at speeds unsafe for road conditions, " the sheriff said.

"Singh's reckless driving, " Forbes continued, "directly caused the fatal crash that resulted in Kevin C. Lataille's tragic death."

Other charges could be forthcoming, the sheriff said, as the investigation continues.

In addition to reports from several eyewitnesses, Forbes said sheriff detectives and members of the department's accident reconstructurist team viewed video footage showing "a large vehicle sliding on the bridge, throwing snow in the air, and a separate passenger vehicle falling from the bridge into the lake."

With the assistance of a translator, Singh, who drives for Gurjaap Multani Transport LLC, of Riverside, Calif., told law enforcement that while he was behind the wheel at the time of the accident, he denied striking any other vehicles or driving recklessly.

By definition, negligent homicide differs from other similar charges, given the implied lack of malice and intent.

Meanwhile, Lataille, 59, a Rhode Island native and U.S. Navy veteran who relocated to Smithfield, Pa., several years ago, had just finished his shift at the Patteson Drive Eat'n Park that day.

With lashing snow, low visibility and freezing temperatures, he knew his wife, Lisa, was home fretting about the weather.

So he called to reassure her.

"Hey, I'm leaving, " he said, making sure to tell her he'd be careful.

In the hours and days that followed, police and even his friends on foot in extreme weather patrolled roadways where he may have traveled.

"It was like he disappeared, " Lisa told The Dominion Post then.

Drone footage revealed a car under the frozen surface of the lake.

On Jan. 26, with the help of multiple first responders from Monongalia County and neighboring Pennsylvania, a crane hoisted the car back to the bridge roadway.

Lataille was still in the driver's seat, still wearing his seatbelt.

The accident team, Forbes said, reported that the damage to Lataille's car was "consistent " with such a collision, involving such a truck and trailer.

Two days later, Singh was interviewed.