A truck driver has been sentenced to 22-and-a-half years in prison for killing five people in Arizona after watching TikTok videos while driving.
On Friday, Aug. 16, Danny Glen Tiner, 38, began his sentence after being charged with five counts of negligent homicide, the Maricopa County Attorney’s Office (MCAO) confirmed in documents shared via a news release posted on Aug. 19. He received 4.5 years in jail for each victim he killed.
On Jan. 12, 2023, Tiner caused a six-vehicle collision while driving a semi-truck eastbound on Interstate 10 near Wildhorse Pass Boulevard in Chandler.
He 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, Arizona’s Department of Public Safety (AZDPS) said in a news release.
He pleaded guilty to five counts of negligent homicide in June 2024. An incident management log shared by AZDPS confirmed the victims were Ryan Gooding, Andrew Standifird, Jerardo Vazquez, Willis Thompson, and Gilberto Franco.
“GPS data showed Tiner’s truck was driving 68-mph in a 55-mph construction zone. After failing to yield to stopped traffic, the defendant caused a six-vehicle collision. Some of the vehicles, including two semi-trucks, caught on fire. Five people died at the scene of the crash,” MCAO said in the release.
“Digital forensic data showed Tiner accessed at least four separate TikTok videos while driving and within seconds of the collision,” it added.
“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,” Maricopa County Attorney Rachel Mitchell, who announced the sentencing, said, per the release.
“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. We achieved that goal,” Mitchell added.
Per AZDPS’s release, “Troopers initially suspected driver distraction as a possible factor in the collision.”
“This marks the first case in AZDPS history in which a driver has been convicted of causing a fatal collision while distracted by a social media application,” AZDPS added.
“Troopers and our law enforcement partners worked tirelessly to ensure a thorough investigation for the victims and their families,” AZDPS Sergeant Smith said, per the release.
“This tragedy was entirely preventable. Don’t risk lives — put your phone away and give driving your full attention,” Smith added.
This man did this knowing full well what could happen watching his phone instead of traffic. . What his sentence is, is not enough when one can shoot one person with a gun and get life or the death sentence. He knew what could happen when he choose to watch the the phone while driving instead of traffic. 100 % preventable. Judges are getting soft on criminals.
What a complete pos! He should have gotten life for something like this.
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