Executive Summary
- Rajinder Kumar is set to enter a plea in Deschutes County Court on charges of manslaughter and reckless endangerment.
- The charges stem from a jackknifed semi-truck crash on U.S. Highway 20 that killed newlywed couple William Carter and Jennifer Lower.
- DHS reports Kumar entered the U.S. illegally in 2022 but subsequently obtained a California commercial driver’s license and work authorization.
- The victims’ family has publicly criticized the use of the tragedy to fuel political rhetoric, asserting the crash was a result of driver error, not immigration status.
- Bail for Kumar has been set at $500,000, and an immigration detainer has been lodged by federal authorities.
Rajinder Kumar, a commercial truck driver identified by federal authorities as an Indian national, is expected to enter a plea in Deschutes County Court regarding charges of manslaughter and reckless endangerment following a fatal traffic collision on U.S. Highway 20. The crash, which occurred late last year, resulted in the deaths of William Carter and Jennifer Lower, a newlywed couple returning from their honeymoon.
According to the Oregon State Police, the fatal incident took place when the victims’ Subaru collided with a semi-truck that had jackknifed and was blocking traffic on the highway. Investigators cited dark conditions and a lack of emergency warning equipment around the truck as primary contributing factors to the crash. While authorities have not confirmed the cause of the jackknife, Kumar was booked into the Deschutes County Jail the day after the November 24 collision.
The Department of Homeland Security (DHS) stated that Kumar entered the United States illegally from Mexico in 2022. Following his entry, he obtained a commercial driver’s license (CDL) in California and received work authorization the subsequent year. DHS has placed an immigration detainer on Kumar, preventing his release. According to court records, Deschutes County Judge Walter Miller increased Kumar’s bail from $100,000 to $500,000 during a hearing last month.
The crash has drawn attention from President Donald Trump’s administration, which has scrutinized state licensing programs in California and Washington amid a broader crackdown on immigrant truck drivers. However, the victims’ family has expressed frustration with the politicization of the tragedy. Becky Lower, the mother of Jennifer Lower, stated that the couple would have been “broken-hearted” by the anti-immigrant rhetoric. “Our personal opinion is that the driver’s immigration status had nothing to do with the accident—it was the decisions he made that night,” Lower said.
During court proceedings, Kumar appeared via closed-circuit camera assisted by a Hindi interpreter. His attorney, Andrew Ince, has not responded to requests for comment. Court filings indicate that Kumar has waived his right to a speedy trial, and a specific trial date has not yet been set.
Judicial Proceedings and Regulatory Context
This case underscores the complex intersection of state-level commercial licensing regulations and federal immigration enforcement, particularly as the Trump administration increases scrutiny on states issuing CDLs to non-citizens. Procedurally, the court must now navigate the criminal charges of manslaughter, focusing on the specific actions and alleged negligence of the driver at the scene, separate from the administrative debate regarding his immigration status. It is important to note that all individuals, including Rajinder Kumar, are presumed innocent until proven guilty in a court of law.
