St. Lucie Co. sheriff tells Congress deadly Florida Turnpike crash exposed CDL ‘gaps’

FORT PIERCE, Fla. (CBS12) — A deadly crash on Florida’s Turnpike that killed three people in St. Lucie County is now at the center of a national debate over commercial truck driver licensing.

On Wednesday, St. Lucie County Sheriff Richard Del Toro traveled to Washington, D.C., to testify before a congressional subcommittee investigating whether gaps in the commercial driver’s license system allowed the driver involved in the crash to legally operate a semi-truck.

“Three innocent people in my county lost their lives in a catastrophic crash on the Florida Turnpike involving a commercial motor vehicle,” Del Toro told lawmakers. “For the families of those victims, this is not a policy debate. It’s a permanent loss.”

The crash that sparked national attention

The crash happened Aug. 12, 2025, when investigators say truck driver Harjinder Singh attempted an illegal U-turn across the northbound lanes of Florida’s Turnpike in St. Lucie County…

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