Lodi, CA (May 19, 2026) – Two people were killed Tuesday in a four-vehicle crash on northbound Highway 99 in Lodi, and a 24-year-old big rig driver has been arrested in connection with the collision, according to authorities. The crash happened around 12:20 p.m. on northbound Highway 99, south of Harney Lane.
The San Joaquin County Sheriff’s Office confirmed that Manvir Singh, identified as the driver of the big rig, was arrested.
According to the California Highway Patrol, the big rig skidded off the highway and into a guardrail. Three other vehicles were involved in the crash, resulting in two deaths. CHP said the driver of the big rig had fled the scene on foot before being placed in custody.
Jail records show Singh was arrested on charges that include vehicular manslaughter with gross negligence and hit-and-run resulting in death. His bail is set at $185,000, and he is expected to be in court today.
It is currently unclear what caused the crash. The investigation is ongoing, and the victims have not yet been publicly identified.
Losing a family member in a sudden crash with a commercial truck, and learning the driver tried to walk away from the scene, is a kind of grief no family is prepared for. The questions that follow rarely come with easy answers. Here is what California families generally need to know in the days after a fatal big rig crash.
What Families Should Know After a Fatal Big Rig Crash in Lodi, CA
The trucking company already knows about this crash. By the time most families think about calling a lawyer, the carrier’s insurance investigators have usually been on the scene, taken photos, pulled the truck’s black box data, and started building a story that protects the company. That is not paranoia – it is how commercial truck cases work. Federal rules let trucking companies destroy certain records after a set period, and the clock starts the day of the crash.
The criminal case against the driver is separate from anything your family might do. A vehicular manslaughter charge is the state holding him accountable. A civil claim is your family recovering what was lost – funeral costs, the income your loved one would have earned, the role they played in your home, the years you should have had together. You do not have to wait for the criminal case to end. In fact, waiting usually makes things harder.
In California, families generally have two years from the date of death to file a wrongful death claim (CCP § 335.1). For this crash, that deadline runs through Tuesday, May 19, 2028. Two years sounds like a lot. It isn’t. Evidence disappears fast, and the trucking company’s lawyers are already working.
Having an attorney in your corner before those records disappear is the single most important thing you can do right now.
Contact Our Lodi Truck Accident Attorneys
If you are reading this because someone in your family was in that crash, contact us right away. Our Lodi truck accident attorneys at the Law Offices of J.G. Winter have handled fatal commercial truck and wrongful death cases across the Central Valley, including a $3.5 million commercial truck recovery. Our Stockton office serves Lodi and all of San Joaquin County, and our team takes calls in English and Spanish, day or night.
Here is why families in San Joaquin County trust us with cases like this:
- Proven Results: $100M+ Recovered
- 4.9-star rating from 146+ verified client reviews
- 20 years of personal injury experience
- No fee unless we win your case
- 24/7 support – Call us anytime
Call 844-764-2596 to get a free consultation. Or send a quick message through our contact form – telling us what happened is enough. Someone from our team will call you back the same day. There is no fee unless we recover compensation for your family.
