Family reacts to distracted driver who caused fiery crash on I-10 in Chandler
CHANDLER, AZ (3TV/CBS 5) - DPS says scrolling on TikTok is to blame for the fiery crash on the I-10 in Chandler that killed five in January. The driver of that semi has been charged with five counts of manslaughter, four counts of endangerment, and one count of tampering with evidence, all felonies.
“Social media is not worth taking somebody’s life. Like that is ridiculous,” said Tondra Doss, who lost her significant other, Willis Thompson. “I’m really upset. Like, he destroyed our lives. My life, my kid’s life. All over social media,” Doss said.
DPS, with the help of the FBI, found the driver, Danny Tiner, was allegedly using TikTok when he plowed into two cars, pushing them into the back of another semi. “I think it’s clear that he was completely distracted,” said Attorney John Kelly of the Kelly Law Team.
Tiner made his initial court appearance this morning. “Any time there is a trucker on the road, they know they have to follow certain safety protocols. They know very well they should not have a phone with them,” Kelly said.
Attorney John Kelly believes the prosecution has a strong case. “It begs the question, whether he was trained. And how much culpability does Mr. Bults, the trucking company, has in allowing drivers to be out, so distracted on social media or TikTok,” Kelly added.
Kelly is representing Tondra and Wailyn, the daughter she and Willis share. “She knows he’s in heaven with God. So she talks to heaven a lot. A week ago she finally broke down badly,” said Doss.
Tondra says though nothing will bring Willis back, she is determined to hold the driver accountable. “Being on your phone is not good while driving. There’s so many accidents,” Doss said.
Apart from the criminal case, multiple loved ones of the victims say they will file a wrongful death lawsuit against the driver and the trucking company, Mr. Bults.
See a spelling or grammatical error in our story? Please click here to report it.
Do you have a photo or video of a breaking news story? Send it to us here with a brief description.
Copyright 2023 KTVK/KPHO. All rights reserved.
