Truck driver used TikTok “seconds before” accident with five deaths and was sentenced to decades in prison

A truck driver involved in a multiple-fatal crash on I-10 in Arizona last year has been sentenced to more than two decades in prison.

On August 19, 2024, the Maricopa County Attorney's Office (MCAO) announced that 38-year-old commercial truck driver Danny Glen Tiner was sentenced to 22.5 years in prison for five counts of involuntary manslaughter.

The charges were filed following an accident that occurred on January 12, 2023 on I-10 at mile marker 160.4 in Maricopa County, Arizona.

Officials say that “GPS data showed Tiner's truck was traveling at 68 miles per hour in a construction zone where the speed limit is 55 miles per hour. After failing to yield to stopped traffic, the defendant caused a collision involving six vehicles. Some of the vehicles, including two semi-trucks, caught fire.”

Five people died at the scene of the accident.

“Digital forensic data showed that Tiner accessed at least four different TikTok videos while driving and within seconds of the collision,” MCAO said.

“As a driver, you have a duty to pay attention to the road. Choosing to access social media while driving and risking the lives of others is reckless,” said Maricopa County District Attorney Rachel Mitchell. “Five families are experiencing the pain of losing a loved one. While the legal system can never ease that pain, it can hold those responsible accountable. We have achieved that goal.”