Oregon Truck Driver Guilty of Manslaughter in Crash That Killed 7

Truck driver acquitted of DUI; drugs found in system
By Newser.AI Read our AI policy
Posted Feb 6, 2025 2:45 AM CST
Oregon Truck Driver Guilty of Manslaughter in Crash That Killed 7
The back end of a semi-truck sits along Interstate 5, May 18, 2023, in Marion County, Ore.   (Abigail Dollins/Statesman-Journal via AP, File)

An Oregon jury has found truck driver Lincoln Smith guilty of seven counts of second-degree manslaughter and reckless driving in connection with a crash on Interstate 5 in May 2023. The collision resulted in the deaths of seven farmworkers, marking it as one of the deadliest highway incidents in the state. Smith, aged 54 and from California, was acquitted of driving under the influence of intoxicants. He testified that the drugs he took the previous night had worn off and that he had dozed off while driving. However, traces of methamphetamine, fentanyl, and morphine were found in his blood, and a "bullet of speed" was discovered in his pocket by state troopers.

The event occurred when Smith's semitruck collided with a van parked on the roadside near Albany, Oregon, an agricultural hub in the Willamette Valley. Albany is located between the state capital, Salem, and Eugene, approximately 70 miles south of Portland. (This story was generated by Newser's AI chatbot. Source: the AP)

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