Trucker Distracted By Phone, Charged For Killing Man Changing Flat Tire

Photo: Cook County Sheriffs Office

India-West News Desk

CHICAGO, IL – A 34-year-old truck driver remains in custody after prosecutors said he was using his phone when he struck and killed a man changing a flat tire on Interstate 80 last month.

Kuljeet Kang is charged with reckless homicide and leaving the scene of a fatal accident. During a court hearing, Judge Rivanda Doss Beal ordered Kang held in custody, saying there was no practical way to prevent him from using electronic devices while driving because he drives for a living.

The crash happened shortly before 5:30 a.m. on June 24. Sebastian Stone, 23, had pulled his Honda onto the right shoulder of Interstate 80 near Torrence Avenue to change a flat tire when a passing semi-truck struck him. The driver did not stop after the crash, and Illinois State Police troopers found Stone dead at the scene.

Investigators identified the truck after a witness provided the trucking company’s name, along with the truck and trailer numbers. By 9 a.m. that morning, Illinois State Police had confirmed through license plate reader data that the truck had been in the area at the time of the crash.

Prosecutors said the trucking company’s owner called Kang to ask if he had been involved in a crash, but Kang disconnected the call. Police located Kang later that afternoon, seized his phone, and obtained dash camera footage and other records from the trucking company.