Canadian Truck Driver Extradited, Arraigned In Crash That Killed Mom, 2 Kids

TOWN OF ULSTER, NY — A Canadian truck driver will face the justice system for a fatal Hudson Valley crash that took place nearly five years ago, according to prosecutors.

The Ulster County District Attorney's Office says that 66-year-old Luc Leblanc, of Canada, was arraigned on June 12, on a sealed indictment charging him with three counts of second-degree manslaughter, and three counts of criminally negligent homicide, for a 2020 incident on I-87 which resulted in the death of three people.

According to the indictment, on August 2, 2020, Leblanc was driving a 44,000-pound tractor-trailer in the Town of Ulster, when he swerved several times, did not reduce speed as traffic slowed, and caused a crash killing a 47-year-old mother, a 14-year-old, and a 10-year-old.

"This is a true nightmare for the victims' families and all of us. Through the tenacious efforts of the New York State Police, both Troop T in Plattsburgh and Troop F in Kingston and Deputy Chief ADA Derohannesian this defendant will be held to account for his conduct that has traumatized a lot of lives and families," DA Emmanuel C. Nneji said. "It is not frequent that we have international extraditions in Ulster County, but justice for victims of crimes in Ulster County will not be denied by international borders."

The DA's Office says that the erratic driving and crash were captured on Leblanc's dashcam.

Over three years, the Ulster County DA's Office obtained a warrant and followed international protocols to extradite Leblanc from Canada. On August 18, 2023, he was arrested on the warrant by Canadian authorities, but Leblanc fought extradition back to the U.S. After being released on bail in Canada, he surrendered himself to authorities on May 2, and has been in jail in Montreal since then.

"The New York State Police would like to commend the efforts of our members and the Ulster County District Attorney's Office for their work over the past three years to bring Luc LeBlanc to face these charges," Andre Ray, Troop Commander of Troop T, said. "Our investigation found that his reckless actions behind the wheel led to the deaths of a mother and her two children, and our goal is to finally provide justice for the family."