A truck driver in Arizona has been arrested and is facing multiple charges after causing a deadly pileup earlier this year. The driver, identified as Danny G. Tiner, was allegedly using the popular video-sharing app TikTok while driving, resulting in a fiery collision that claimed the lives of five people.
Danny G. Tiner, a truck driver from Arizona, has been taken into custody and charged with multiple offenses following a tragic accident that occurred earlier this year. The Arizona Department of Public Safety (AZDPS) announced on Thursday that Tiner is facing five counts of homicide, four counts of endangerment, and one count of tampering with physical evidence. The incident, which took place on January 12th, involved a fiery pileup on Interstate 10 near Chandler.
According to the AZDPS statement, Tiner was actively using the TikTok application on his cell phone while driving his commercial tractor-trailer. He was traveling at a speed of 68 mph in a 55-mph construction zone when his vehicle collided with stopped traffic at around 6:14 a.m. The impact caused two cars to be crushed between Tiner’s truck and another semi, resulting in a devastating fire that claimed the lives of five individuals.
The accident caused a complete shutdown of the freeway for 11 hours, highlighting the severity of the incident. Initially, Tiner claimed that he was acknowledging a message on his work tablet when the crash occurred. However, further investigation by the AZDPS and the FBI revealed that he had actually been using the TikTok app at the time of the collision.
Tiner, who was employed by Mr. Bult’s Inc. (MBI), an Illinois-based waste transportation firm, remains in custody at Maricopa County Jail. MBI has been involved in at least 26 crashes in Arizona within the past two years, raising concerns about the company’s safety record. Additionally, MBI drivers have accumulated numerous violations in the state, including speeding, failure to wear seatbelts, and using mobile phones while driving.
Following the tragic incident, the wife of one of the crash victims, Willis Doss, expressed her intention to file a lawsuit against both Tiner and MBI for wrongful death. Tondra Doss, overcome with grief, shared her heart-wrenching experience, stating that she went into shock upon learning of her husband’s death.