Truck driver kills five in deadly highway pile up while browsing TikTok

A semi-truck driver has been arrested and charged with manslaughter after causing a fiery crash in Arizona that killed five people.

Danny G. Tiner was arrested on June 29, 2023, on five counts of manslaughter, four counts of endangerment, and one of tampering with physical evidence, the Arizona Department of Public Safety (AZDPS) announced in a statement.

The 36-year-old driver was browsing the TikTok app while driving 68 mph in a 55-mph construction zone on Interstate 10, when his semi-truck collided with stopped traffic on January 12.

His commercial tractor-trailer shoved two cars between another semi and two other vehicles, which caused the crushed cars to burst into flames, killing five people. The accident shut down the freeway for 11 hours, 3TV/CBS 5 reported.

Unsplash: Olivier Bergeron

Tiner said he “received a message on his electronic work tablet and acknowledged the message,” according to the AZDPS statement. “Tiner said when he looked back up traffic was stopped, and he could not stop his vehicle in time to avoid a collision.”

Upon further investigation, AZDPS and the FBI found that he’d been speeding prior to the crash and was distracted with the popular video app while doing so. That information was found after Tiner turned his phone over to officials, and a forensic examination was conducted through his device.

The 36-year-old was driving a semi-truck for Mr. Bult’s Inc., a waste transportation firm that’s been involved in at least 26 crashes in Arizona in just two years, 3TV/CBS 5 said.

At the time of writing, Tiner remains in custody at Maricopa County Jail. His bail, set at $300,000, has not been posted, and he is due in court on July 7, according to court documents obtained by CNN.

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