Gavin Newsom’s Office Repeatedly Denied Contact With Dalilah Coleman’s Family – But Records Disagree
Governor Gavin Newsom’s office says it has no record of outreach from the family of a young girl severely injured by an illegal migrant truck driver. However, newly obtained phone records appear to contradict that claim, raising questions about the state’s response to the case.
Dalilah Coleman, a first-grade student, suffered devastating injuries in a multi-car crash in San Bernardino County, California, on June 20, 2024. The collision occurred when an 18-wheel tractor-trailer reportedly plowed into stopped traffic at high speed. The crash left Dalilah unable to walk, speak, eat normally, or attend school, forcing her to spend six months in the hospital before finally returning home to her family.
Authorities arrested the driver, Partap Singh, an Indian national, and charged him in connection with the accident. According to investigators, Singh was traveling at an unsafe speed and failed to stop as traffic slowed near a construction zone.
Immigration and Customs Enforcement later confirmed that Singh had unlawfully entered the United States in October 2022 and had been released by the Biden administration. Further scrutiny revealed additional troubling details. Dalilah’s father, Marcus Coleman, discovered the trucking company involved was reportedly operating as a “chameleon carrier,” a term used for companies that repeatedly change their identity or registration in order to avoid regulatory scrutiny and remain in business.
Just five days after the crash, Marcus Coleman attempted to contact Governor Gavin Newsom’s office for help. Phone records reviewed by the Daily Caller News Foundation show that Coleman called the governor’s office on June 25, 2024, at approximately 2:00 p.m. and remained on the line for about five minutes.
Coleman said he left a message explaining the situation and also followed up with an email.
“It would be equivalent to somebody cold calling because I called them and I explained to them what was going on,” Coleman said. “They said that they would take the phone message, so I did that and then I also sent them an email, and then I received nothing back on either one.”
He also recalled speaking with someone after the message was left.
“If I’m not mistaken, I believe I left a message or they transferred me to somebody where I left a message,” Coleman said. “But yes, somebody called me back, because I remember physically speaking with somebody.”
Despite those claims and the call logs showing the contact attempt, Newsom’s office has repeatedly maintained that there is no record of outreach from the Coleman family.
“What happened to Dalilah is heartbreaking, and we commend her family for turning their grief into advocacy,” a spokesperson for Newsom told the Daily Caller News Foundation. “While our Constituent Affairs team has no record of outreach from the Coleman family, we would welcome the opportunity to connect them to available state resources.”
The governor’s office did not respond to additional questions regarding the phone records.
Meanwhile, the tragedy has drawn national attention. President Donald Trump highlighted Dalilah’s case during his State of the Union address earlier this year, inviting her and her father as guests. During the speech, Trump called on Congress to pass legislation dubbed “Dalilah’s Law,” which would prohibit states from issuing commercial driver’s licenses to individuals in the country illegally.
“Dalilah Coleman was only 5 years old in June 2024 when an 18-wheel tractor-trailer plowed into her stopped car traveling at 60 miles an hour or more,” Trump said in the address.
Indiana Senator Jim Banks introduced Dalilah’s Law the following day. The bill would require states to remove illegal migrant truck drivers from American highways or risk losing federal Department of Transportation funding.
Since then, Marcus Coleman has worked with lawmakers to advocate for the legislation. His message to members of Congress considering the bill is direct: see what his daughter is living through.
“I don’t need to sit here and have a conversation with you,” Coleman said. “I need you to sit here and see what my daughter’s going through because this is something that’s going to continue happening.”