Ont. man pleads guilty in 2023 transport truck crash that killed Olympian Alexandra Paul

Sukhwinder Sidhu, 31, charged with dangerous driving causing death in a crash that killed Olympic figure skater Alexandra Paul has pleaded guilty.

An Angus, Ont., man charged with dangerous driving causing death and bodily harm in an August 2023 crash that killed Olympic figure skater Alexandra Paul has pleaded guilty ahead of trial.

Sukhwinder Sidhu, 31, admitted to both counts in a virtual courtroom Tuesday morning, accepting responsibility for the horrific crash that killed the new mother in Melancthon Township and injured several others, including her young son.

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The guilty plea came two-and-a-half years after provincial police said Sidhu, while behind the wheel of a speeding transport truck in a construction zone along County Road 124, crashed into the back of several stopped vehicles, including a Cadillac driven by Paul, who had her 10-month-old son in the backseat at the time of the pileup.

As part of an Agreed Statement of Facts, the court heard Paul’s vehicle was hit so hard it was sent crashing into a ditch, killing her. Paul’s child suffered a broken leg and was taken to the hospital along with three men, in other vehicles, who suffered serious and life-altering injuries in the crash.

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According to investigators, Sidhu entered the construction zone, north of Shelburne, at about 3 p.m. on Aug. 22, 2023, travelling nearly double the posted 60 kilometre an hour reduced speed limit before slamming into a lineup of six vehicles, hitting Paul first. The Crown said Sidhu ignored posted signs and warnings to slow down with the construction zone ahead.

The Crown revealed Sidhu had been working for 26 hours at the time of the crash, and his vehicle was recorded travelling between 102 and the truck’s maximum 108 km/h speed.

Alexandra Paul was a decorated figure skating star at the Mariposa School of Skating in Barrie, with her ice dance partner and husband Mitch Islam. The pair represented Barrie and Canada in ice dance at the 2014 Olympic Games in Sochi, Russia.

After retiring from skating, Paul became a practicing lawyer in Barrie, working for Barriston Law. Paul was posthumously inducted into the Barrie Sports Hall of Fame in 2024 alongside Islam.

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Sidhu made several court appearances ahead of trial, which was set to begin later this month for three weeks in Orangeville. Sidhu’s sentencing hearing is scheduled for mid-May, when it is expected he will hear victim impact statements.