A truck driver that was involved in a fatal 2014 crash that claimed the lives of four college students was found dead from suicide just weeks before his trial was set to begin.
The incident happened back on September 25th, 2014, when 53-year-old truck driver Russel Staley of Saginaw, Texas, was driving northbound on I-35 in Turner Falls, Oklahoma, and veered into southbound traffic, colliding with bus carrying a North Texas College Softball Team.
11 students were injured, and four people were killed.
Staley initially told investigators that he was “reaching for a drink and lost control of his rig.”
Authorities say Staley did not brake or take evasive action before the impact.
After the crash, police discovered a pipe with small traces of synthetic marijuana in the cab of his truck.
More than a year later, a National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB) inviestigation determined that Staley’s synthetic marijuana use may have been a contributing factor, although a blood test wasn’t able to confirm the presence of drugs in his system after the crash.
Staley was set to appear in court on March 8th to face four charges of first degree manslaughter, but was discovered dead from a self-inflected gunshot wound at his home in Saginaw, Texas, on Friday, January 27th.