Truck driver admits he was asleep at the wheel before I-20 crash that killed 5 in Terrell, arrest affidavit says
By Julia Falcon
The driver of an 18-wheeler that’s accused of causing a chain reaction crash in Terrell last weekend that killed five people told law enforcement he was asleep at the wheel before the crash happened, according to an arrest affidavit.
Alexis Osmani Gonzalez-Companioni, 27, was driving his 18-wheeler when he failed to see stalled traffic around 2:40 p.m. on June 28, striking a Ford F-150 carrying five people, the Texas Department of Public Safety said.
The impact pushed Gonzalez-Companioni’s semi into the F-150 and another 18-wheeler, causing a jackknife that struck a Jeep Compass, a Ford Mustang and a Honda.
A horrific crash scene on I-20 near Terrell
The DPS trooper who responded said when he got to the scene of the crash on Saturday, he saw body parts of multiple people scattered around the road, according to the arrest affidavit obtained by CBS News Texas.
The trooper also said there was a woman stuck in the Ford F-150 screaming for help and another woman in a Jeep screaming, slumped over. One person was ejected from the F-150.
The force from the 18-wheeler crashing into the F-150 caused it to crash into another 18-wheeler, causing the transmission of that 18-wheeler to fall out, the affidavit said.
Gonzalez-Companioni admitted to the trooper that he was asleep and woke up to a loud bang, the affidavit said.
He was arrested and charged with five counts of manslaughter and one count of aggravated assault with a deadly weapon.
One person remains in critical condition after the crash
Texas DPS identified the victims in the F-150 as Billy McKellar, 79, Zabar McKellar, 52, Krishaun McKellar, 45, and 16-year-old Kason McKellar. One person in the Jeep, 48-year-old Nicole Gregory, also died at the scene.
The fifth injured passenger of the F-150 was identified as 20-year-old Evan McKellar by Texas DPS and family members. As of Tuesday, she remained in critical condition.
DPS reported on Monday that the person care-flighted from the F-150 had died, but the family confirmed to CBS News Texas Tuesday that the person was still alive and in critical condition.
Truck Driver Watching TikTok Causes A Horrific Accident
Steven Symes
Sat, September 21, 2024 at 3:30 AM GMT+7
Read the full story on Backfire News
Bodycam footage recently released shows the aftermath of a six-car pileup caused by a commercial truck driver who was watching TikTok while traveling down the interstate. The crash, which killed five people, is a solemn reminder of the dangers of distracted driving, especially for anyone driving a large, heavy commercial vehicle.
See another distracted semi driver cause a huge crash.
The deadly crash happened back on January 12, 2023 on I-10 in Chandler, Arizona. It was early in the morning when Danny Glen Tiner was driving a tractor-trailer hauling garbage while watching TikTok videos. Yes, it sounds almost too dumb to be true, but it’s far from a joke considering what happened next.
According to investigators, Tiner was going 68 mph in a construction zone with a 55 mph speed limit when he smashed into traffic which was at a complete standstill. He didn’t see the stopped cars until the last split second because he was watching videos, his eyes completely off the road ahead.
Another semi-truck was in the stopped line of cars. That meant Tiner’s truck and the other worked like vice grips, crushing those vehicles between them, making the crash forces worse. Fires erupted and in the bodycam footage you can even hear an explosion. The scene is horrific.
Ultimately, Tiner pled guilty to five counts of negligent homicide. He was sentenced by a judge to 20 years in prison, which we think he got off lightly considering.
Driver distraction isn’t just annoying, it’s a dead phenomenon which needs to be curbed, if not eradicated. We don’t think just passing laws will do the trick. After all, in Arizona drivers aren’t allowed to watch videos on their phone or even hold it while driving, yet this deadly crash still happened.
Instead, we think a social movement to discourage distracted driving would be more effective. While some say shaming violators is the best way, we think that just encourages people to hide their acts instead of addressing a dangerous addiction.
How exactly this would be done is something open to discussion. But it’s clear some drivers, including commercial truckers, have a problem which needs to be addressed. Otherwise, more deadly crashes like this one will be the inevitable result.
