Three people who were killed in a crash on the Florida Turnpike on Aug. 12 when an undocumented truck driver made an illegal U-turn were Haitian immigrants who previously lived in South Florida and were returning home, according to CBS Miami News partner The Miami Herald. 

Herby Dufresne, 30, Faniola Joseph, 27, and Rodrigue Dor, 53, were heading back to Indiana when their minivan slammed into the 18-wheeler near Fort Pierce, the Herald reports. 

Dufresne, identified as the driver of the minivan by the Florida Highway Patrol, came to South Florida in 2023, according to the Herald. Dufresne had legal status under Haiti's Temporary Protected Status designation, the Herald reports. 

He later moved to Indiana when he couldn't find work, according to the Herald. Joseph had previously lived in Pompano Beach and Dor in Miami. 

A friend of Dufresne told the Herald that he saw family members in Miami before hitting the road. He also said Dufresne and Dor were roommates in Indiana. 

The driver of the truck was an undocumented immigrant

Authorities said the driver of the truck, 28-year-old Harjinder Singh, illegally entered California in 2018, where he received a commercial driver's license.

Gurpatwant Singh Pannun, an attorney with the advocacy group Sikhs for Justice, said Singh left India fearing persecution under the Modi government because of his Sikh religion and his pro-Khalistani political views.

The Florida Department of Highway Safety and Motor Vehicles said Singh, who was driving a 2024 International semi-truck, attempted a U-turn in an area marked for "official use only," crossing multiple lanes into the path of a northbound Chrysler Town & Country minivan. The minivan struck the truck's trailer and became wedged underneath.  

Joseph and Dor were pronounced dead at the scene. Dufresne was airlifted to HCA Florida Lawnwood Hospital and later died from his injuries.

Singh is facing vehicular homicide charges and immigration violations.

DeSantis orders immigration checkpoints

Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis has seized on the crash to press his immigration agenda, criticizing California for issuing Singh a license.

"I think what they're at least able to do, though, is ensure that the drivers coming through are able to read and understand English," DeSantis said.

Since the accident, DeSantis has directed several truck inspection sites in Florida to operate as immigration checkpoints and has vowed that the state will not recognize licenses issued to undocumented immigrants.