A truck driver has been sentenced to more than 22 years in prison for causing a road accident that killed five people due to his being distracted by watching a TikTok video.
Danny Glen Tiner, 38, was sentenced on Friday and received 4.5 years of prison time for each victim.
Tiner was driving a semi hauling garbage eastbound on Interstate 10 in Chandler, Arizona, in the morning of Jan.12, 2023, when he slammed into two passenger vehicles. The impact crushed the two smaller vehicles into the back of another truck, which was thrust forward and struck two additional cars.
The two passenger vehicles crushed between the semi-trucks ignited and burst into flames, and the fire spread to the two trucks.
Tiner sustained minor injuries and was able to exit his cabin.
Troopers at the scene confirmed that five people were killed in the two passenger vehicles during the collision, according to a press release from the Arizona Department of Public Safety (AZDPS).
At the time of the collision, Interstate 10 was closed at Wild Horse Pass Boulevard due to an earlier crash involving multiple trucks, which caused traffic to slow down.
Tiner, however, was speeding. GPS data on his truck showed he was doing 68 mph in a 55 mph construction zone.
Tiner also failed to slow down as he approached congested traffic.
According to AZDPS, Tiner declared that he was distracted because he’d received a message on his electronic work tablet and acknowledged the message. When he looked back up, he saw that traffic had stopped, but it was too late to stop.
However, the investigation showed that Tiner was not looking at his work tablet; instead, he accessed at least four TikTok videos on his cell phone within seconds of the collision.
Tiner was arrested at his home on June 29, 2023, on charges including five counts of manslaughter, four counts of endangerment, and one count of tampering with evidence.
In June 2024, he pleaded guilty to the five counts of negligent homicide.
The AZDPS said the case was the first case in its history in which a driver has been convicted of causing a fatal collision while distracted by social media.
“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 in a statement.
“Five families are living through the pain of losing a loved one. While the justice system can never relieve that pain, it can hold the person responsible accountable.”