The National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB) has reported that the driver involved in the fatal June 25th semi truck crash, which killed six people in Tennessee, was on duty for 50 consecutive hours just before his accident.
The report indicates that truck driver Ben Brewer departed from Kentucky on June 22nd and experienced two breakdowns and a minor accident before finally reaching his destination in Florida, after 50 hours on duty.
Upon reaching his destination, he logged himself off duty and took a twelve hour break before heading back to Kentucky. After driving for 15 hours on his return trip, he crashed his 2007 Peterbilt into eight vehicles on Interstate 75 in Chattanooga, Tennessee. Six people were killed and four were injured as a result of the crash.
An excerpt of the NTSB’s report states:
The driver arrived at his final destination in Florida on Wednesday, June 24, and after being on duty for about 50 consecutive hours he logged himself as off-duty at 4:30 p.m.
The driver began his return trip to London, Kentucky, on Thursday, June 25, about 4:30 a.m., and at 7:10 p.m., he was involved in the crash that ultimately killed six. At this point in the investigation, it has been determined that the driver had exceeded the Federal Motor Carrier Safety Regulations hours-of-service when the crash occurred.
Brewer, who drove for Cool Runnings Express, was charged with six counts of vehicular homicide, four counts of reckless aggravated assault, one count of speeding, one count of driving under the influence of narcotics, and one count of falsified logbook.
You can see the NTSB’s preliminary report in its entirety here.
