A truck driver has been sentenced to 22-and-a-half years in jail for killing 5 folks in Arizona after watching TikTok movies whereas driving.
On Friday, Aug. 16, Danny Glen Tiner, 38, started his sentence after being charged with 5 counts of negligent murder, the Maricopa County Lawyer’s Workplace (MCAO) confirmed in paperwork shared through a information launch posted on Aug. 19. He obtained 4.5 years in jail for every sufferer he killed.
On Jan. 12, 2023, Tiner prompted a six-vehicle collision whereas driving a semi-truck eastbound on Interstate 10 close to Wildhorse Move Boulevard in Chandler.
He was arrested at his residence on June 29, 2023, on fees together with 5 counts of manslaughter, 4 counts of endangerment, and one rely of tampering with proof, Arizona’s Division of Public Security (AZDPS) mentioned in a information launch.
He pleaded responsible to 5 counts of negligent murder in June 2024. An incident administration log shared by AZDPS confirmed the victims had been Ryan Gooding, Andrew Standifird, Jerardo Vazquez, Willis Thompson, and Gilberto Franco.
“GPS knowledge confirmed Tiner’s truck was driving 68-mph in a 55-mph building zone. After failing to yield to stopped visitors, the defendant prompted a six-vehicle collision. Among the automobiles, together with two semi-trucks, caught on hearth. 5 folks died on the scene of the crash,” MCAO mentioned within the launch.
“Digital forensic knowledge confirmed Tiner accessed a minimum of 4 separate TikTok movies whereas driving and inside seconds of the collision,” it added.
“As a driver, you might have an obligation to concentrate to the highway. To decide on to entry social media whereas driving, putting the lives of others on the road, is reckless,” Maricopa County Lawyer Rachel Mitchell, who introduced the sentencing, mentioned, per the discharge.
“5 households reside by the ache of shedding a beloved one. Whereas the justice system can by no means relieve that ache, it might probably maintain the individual accountable accountable. We achieved that objective,” Mitchell added.
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Per AZDPS’s launch, “Troopers initially suspected driver distraction as a potential issue within the collision.”
“This marks the primary case in AZDPS historical past by which a driver has been convicted of inflicting a deadly collision whereas distracted by a social media software,” AZDPS added.
“Troopers and our regulation enforcement companions labored tirelessly to make sure a radical investigation for the victims and their households,” AZDPS Sergeant Smith mentioned, per the discharge.
“This tragedy was fully preventable. Do not danger lives — put your cellphone away and provides driving your full consideration,” Smith added.