Earlier this week a driver for Mississippi carrier, Total Transportation, was involved in a tragic accident that resulted in the death of five college students. Now the lives of the families affected, as well as the driver involved, will never be the same.
The accident occurred early Wednesday morning on Interstate 16 in Georgia after truck driver John Wayne Johnson, of Louisiana, smashed into a line of cars that had slowed down for an earlier accident and came to a stop after hitting a tanker truck.
In the pileup were seven nursing students, headed to their final rotation of clinicals, five of whom died in the crash after their cars burst into flames.
According to witnesses that spoke to Channel 2 Action News, Johnson told first responders he wished he died too.
While Johnson’s personal driving record was not revealed, the company he drove for had a less than stellar safety record. Over the last 24 months, the 740-fleet carrier was involved in 85 crashes and was cited for 266 unsafe driving violations.
As of Friday evening, the 55-year-old driver had not been charged with any criminal or traffic violations, but an investigation is underway.
