Truck Driver Gets 22 Years for Crash Involving TikTok

After Danny Glen Tiner crashed his tractor-trailer into stopped traffic on I-10 near Chandler, Arizona, he told officials he had been reading a message on his "electronic work tablet" and didn't have enough time to brake after he looked up. The crash killed five—and AZ Family reports his story gave way after an FBI analysis of Tiner's phone showed he had paged through four TikTok videos within seconds of the Jan. 12, 2023, crash. The 38-year-old was also traveling 68mph in a 55mph zone. On Tuesday, Tiner was sentenced to 22.5 years—4.5 years for each of five counts of count negligent homicide, reports NBC News.

Four of the men who were killed—Andrew Standifird, Jerardo Vazquez, Willis Thompson, and Gilberto Franco—had been en route to work at AAA Landscaping that morning. Tiner crashed into the Ford F-250 in which they were riding. The impact caused it and a Toyota Camry driven by Ryan Gooding to become shoved under another semi-truck that was ahead of them; the Ford and the Camry burst into flames. Gooding, who was also headed to work, was set to marry in six months, reported KPNX at the time. The state's Department of Public Safety says it's the first time a driver has been convicted in a fatal crash while distracted by social media. (More distracted driving stories.)