India, Aug. 24 -- The family and the village of Indian-origin trucker Harjinder Singh from Punjab, who is staring at a potential 45-year jail sentence for allegedly causing a deadly crash in the US, have pleaded for a lenient punishment citing his age and "bad luck".

Harjinder was driving a tractor-trailer and allegedly took an illegal u-turn that led to a minivan crashing into his vehicle. Three persons were killed as a result.

Arrested from California after he was briefly on the run, he is now facing charges of vehicular homicide for the August 12 incident. It could carry up to 45 years in jail.

"We are also saddened over the death of three persons in the accident. Similar incidents have taken place earlier as well," Dilbagh Singh, o...