Trucker who killed Canadian Olympian gets 30 months behind bars

A trucker has been sentenced to 30 months in prison for dangerous driving in the August 2023 crash that killed former Olympic figure skater Alexandra Paul. Here Paul is pictured skating with Mitchel Islam, now her widower, in the Ice Dance Free Dance competition at the 2013 Skate Canada International. Photo: Andrew Meade/Telegraph-Journal

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An Ontario judge has sentenced a trucker to 30 months in prison for killing former Olympic figure skater Alexandra Paul and severely injuring several other people, including her infant son.

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Sukhwinder Sidhu pleaded guilty this past winter to dangerous driving causing death and dangerous driving causing bodily harm in the crash that killed Paul, 31, and injured her infant son in Melancthon Township, Ont., on Aug. 22, 2023.

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On top of the prison sentence, the judge issued Sidhu a seven-year driving prohibition, according to multiple media reports.

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The court heard the trucker had been driving for nearly 16 hours when his truck collided with Paul’s car on County Road 124.

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According to the judge, aggravating factors in the case included Sidhu’s driving record and the fact that he was speeding in a construction zone.

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Sidhu was driving at about 107 kilometres an hour in an area where the posted speed limit was 60 kilometers an hour.

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Paul’s was one of seven vehicles involved in the crash. The collision sent the Olympian’s car into a ditch.

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Sidhu pulled Paul’s son with fellow Olympic figure skater, Mitch Islam, out of the wreckage. The boy was reportedly taken to hospital with a broken leg.

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Islam told the court their son “has been stripped” of his mother’s “enduring love … He’ll have to hear about how much she loved him. He will only know from stories about how amazing she was.”

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Islam learned about the crash from a police officer who pulled into his driveway just as he was about to go looking for his wife and son. “When the officer told me Alex was gone, it was crippling fog and numbness. I remember buckling into his arms.”

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Paul’s mother testified about her daughter’s outstanding personality. “What was taken from Alex hurts me more than what was taken from me,” she said. “The world is not the same to me anymore.”

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Speaking directly to Sadhu, Paul’s father said: “What happened that day was absolutely soul crushing for all of us and shouldn’t have happened.”

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Paul was “simply amazing and had such a bright future,” said her dad. “I didn’t get a chance to say goodbye. I couldn’t give her another hug. She was just gone.”

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Sidhu took full responsibility for the fatal crash.

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“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.

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“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.”

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According to Skate Canada, Paul and Islam won multiple international medals, claimed three Canadian Championship medals and competed at the 2014 Olympic Winter Games in Sochi, Russia.

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She retired from competitive skating in 2016.

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After skating, Paul became an associate lawyer at Barriston Law, where “she loved the challenge and the work,” according to her obituary.

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