Truckers On The Offensive™ #004 - Driver Sentenced To Jail For 2020 Crash That Killed Four

Happy July 4th. Thank you for what your company, drivers, and management do to keep our Country moving. Stay safe and enjoy this week’s post!

What Happened

Charles Hunt was driving his semi south on I-71 in Ashland County as a Highway Patrol trooper was pulling over a speeding 2009 Saturn Outlook.

The Saturn was moving toward the shoulder of I-71 but the driver came to a stop in the right lane. The trooper gave orders over his public address system for the vehicle to pull off the roadway and onto the right shoulder.

Seconds later, Hunt’s vehicle struck the rear of the Saturn, The car was pushed off the right side of the highway and into the tree line as the semi landed on top of it.

Four of the seven people inside the Saturn died.

Charles Hunt pleaded no contest to four misdemeanor counts of vehicular homicide.

How is Charles Hunt at fault?

Common sense says the Saturn stopped in the main lane of travel after being pulled over for speeding would carry the majority of the fault. However, when troopers looked through Hunt’s semi, they said they found his cellphone with the YouTube app open… The argument is if Hunt wasn’t distracted he would have been able to avoid the crash.

Drivers avoid accidents on a daily basis but it only takes one instance of being distracted and failing to move over. Unfortunately, drivers of commercial vehicles are held to a higher standard.

What can you do?

1. Ensure your distracted driving policy prohibits video-based media such as YouTube.

2. Have documented training on the dangers of video-based media usage while driving and how it can lead to events like this.

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