The full, tragic inside story of how a young dad’s body was found by the side of a major highway – and why truck driver had no idea the unthinkable had happened

A truck driver was distracted while watching YouTube on his phone when he fatally struck a young father on a major highway at 60mph – and only realized much later what the ‘bump’ he was feeling was.

Bhupinder Singh, 38, was on the final leg of his journey from Albury to Sydney when his B-double struck father-of-three David Howard, 30, on the Hume Highway near Narellan in the early hours of October 11, 2022.

Mr Howard’s body was found on the side of the road the next day, after a motorist called the police claiming to have seen a body.

Now court documents seen by Daily Mail Australia reveal that 38-year-old Singh spent more time looking at his mobile phone than looking at the road in the minutes before the collision.

Singh later told his boss he suspected he had hit “an animal or a person” but continued to drive without inspecting the scene.

Bhupinder Singh was behind the wheel of a B-double for transport company Ron Finemore

He later told police he could not stop and pull over where the collision occurred because there was no rest area and he felt the truck was functioning properly.

It was only days later that a colleague from Singh’s employer in Albury, transport company Ron Finemore, viewed the articulated vehicle’s dashcam footage and confirmed that Singh’s victim was human.

A subsequent investigation by the NSW Police Metropolitan Crash Investigation Unit found that Singh was using YouTube at the time of the collision.

Video cameras in the cabin showed Singh repeatedly touching, staring at and picking up his phone while driving at 60 mph, according to court documents.

At the time of the impact, in-cabin video showed Singh “looking at his cell phone for 45 seconds, with only fleeting glances at the road ahead.”

Singh was arrested and charged on December 14. He has since pleaded guilty to reckless or dangerous driving and failing to stop after an accident resulting in death.

Campbelltown Local Court heard the dangerous driving charge related to his use of the mobile phone and not Mr Howard’s death.

Singh remains on bail pending his sentencing on March 25.

Investigators said text messages Mr Howard sent to his then-partner Kayla Davies just before his death showed Mr Howard planned to take his life that night.

The court heard that Ms Davies reported him missing later that morning, but his remains were not discovered until the next day, after Singh’s boss informed police of the incident.

Jacqui Burgin, a former partner who shared two sons with Mr Howard, told Daily Mail Australia he was a loving father and the family are “heartbroken” as they try to navigate their way through the loss.

The photo shows police officers searching for Mr Howard in October

Court documents revealed that the collision left a trail of bodily fluid stretching for 900 feet (290 meters).

Mr Howard’s black wallet – along with his driver’s license, Medicare card and security clearance – was located on the western shoulder of Hume Highway, near the point of impact.

Jacqui Burgin, a former partner who shared two sons aged eight and six with Mr Howard, told Daily Mail Australia he was a loving father and the family are “heartbroken” as they try to navigate their way through the loss.

“He truly was the light of his children’s lives and his smile or voice would change their entire day and mood,” she said.

“He would do absolutely anything to see them happy and smiling and it breaks me that they only have that memory and can’t experience it again.”

For confidential 24-hour support in Australia, call Lifeline: 13 11 14 or Beyond Blue: 1300 224 63