Overview
- Rajinder Kumar, 32, was arrested after his semi jackknifed across both lanes of U.S. Highway 20 on Nov. 24 in Deschutes County, where a Subaru struck the trailer, killing William Micah Carter, 25, and Jennifer Lynn Lower, 24.
- He faces two counts of criminally negligent homicide and one count of reckless endangerment and remains in the Deschutes County Jail after posting 10% of a $100,000 bail because he lacks a passport required for release.
- DHS says Kumar entered the U.S. illegally near Lukeville, Arizona, in November 2022, later received work authorization in 2023, and was issued a California commercial driver’s license; ICE has lodged a detainer.
- Oregon State Police say investigators are examining the nighttime conditions and the absence of active emergency warning equipment as potential contributors to the crash.
- The case is being cited by federal officials in a broader review of commercial licensing, with California’s CDL practices under federal penalty and other states warned over compliance.