The driver of a speeding garbage truck that caused a chain-reaction crash in Hauppauge two years ago that killed a West Islip man and left two other motorists severely injured pleaded guilty Wednesday to criminally negligent homicide and other charges.

Jaswinder Singh, 54, acknowledged that he was doing 54 mph in a 40 mph zone and failed to stop at a red light before the 19-ton truck hit the 2019 Honda Accord driven by Joseph Kelly, 24, who authorities said died on impact.

About two dozen of Kelly’s friends and relatives attended the hearing in Suffolk County Court in Riverhead, many wearing dog tags featuring the deceased man’s photo. Kelly’s parents, Lori and John Kelly of West Islip, said everybody who knew their son has been scarred by his loss.

"What’s been taken cannot be replaced and our family will forever be broken," Lori Kelly said through tears following the hearing before Acting Suffolk Supreme Court Justice Steven Pilewski.

Singh, of Queens Village, also pleaded guilty to two counts of third-degree assault, reckless driving, and speeding. His attorney, Vito Palmieri of Mineola, declined to comment after the hearing.

Singh faced up to 1 1/3 to 4 years in prison if convicted at trial on the top charge, criminally negligent homicide.

"It still doesn’t bring my son back," John Kelly said, trying to control his emotions after the hearing. "We’re happy Mr. Singh has accepted guilt."

Pilewski ordered Singh to return to his courtroom on Aug. 21 for sentencing. Suffolk County Assistant District Attorney Emma Richards recommended a sentence of 6 months followed by 5 years of probation. His driver's license was also revoked.

Prosecutors said Singh was driving the truck on July 3, 2023, from Brooklyn to a business in Bohemia, where it was to be outfitted before being put into service with the New York City Department of Sanitation.

Singh, speaking through an interpreter, admitted he was speeding after he pulled off the Long Island Expressway at Exit 57 and on to Express Drive South. He also acknowledged that he failed to stop at a red light at the intersection of Express Drive South and Motor Parkway.

The collision with Kelly’s Honda sparked a chain reaction that left two other motorists severely injured, Richards said during the hearing. Five vehicles, including a Suffolk County Transportation school bus carrying three toddlers, were damaged in the crash. The bus driver and the children were not injured.

Lori Kelly said Joseph’s memory has kept her family going even as his absence has left them devastated.

"It is his strength that keeps us strong," she said. "He will" forever be in the hearts of all who knew him."