A truck driver who was watching TikTok when he caused a deadly crash in Arizona last year has been sentenced to more than 22 years in prison, according to the Maricopa County Attorney’s Office.
The driver, 38-year-old Danny Glen Tiner, was operating a tractor-trailer on Interstate 10 in Chandler, just southeast of Phoenix, when he failed to stop for halted traffic on Jan. 12, 2023, the DA said.
Arizona Department of Public Safety
Truck driver Danny Glen Tiner was allegedly distracted by TikTok when he caused the fatal crash. (Arizona Department of Public Safety)
Tiner, who was speeding at 68 mph in a 55 mph construction zone, subsequently caused a collision involving six vehicles, some of which caught on fire.
Five people were pronounced dead at the scene.
Tiner initially told authorities he had been checking a message on his work tablet when he noticed the stopped traffic too late to avoid a collision. However, an FBI analysis of his phone later revealed he was actively using TikTok at the time of the crash.
Tiner eventually pleaded guilty to five counts of negligent homicide, each count carrying a four-and-a-half-year sentence to be carried out consecutively.
“As a driver, you have an obligation to pay attention to the road. To choose to access social media while driving, placing the lives of others on the line, is reckless,” said Maricopa County Attorney Rachel Mitchell. “Five families are living through the pain of losing a loved one.”
The victims of the fatal crash included four men who worked together at the Arizona-based AAA Landscaping: Andrew Standifird, Gilberto Franco, Jerardo Vazquez and Willis Thompson. Another driver, Ryan Gooding, also died in the collision.
The Arizona Department of Public Safety said it was the first case they’d seen where a driver was convicted of causing a fatal collision while distracted by social media.
