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DA Drops Charges Against Trucking Company In I-16 Crash That Killed Nursing Students

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The Bryan County District Attorney has dropped the charges against a trucking company involved in a crash that killed five nursing students last spring after the company agreed to set up a scholarship fund in the victims’ honor.

Seven Nursing Students Injured In 2015 Pileup Crash

The crash took place in Georgia on I-16 on April 22, 2015. According to reports, a Total Transportation truck driven by 56 year old John Wayne Johnson rear ended two cars carrying seven students after those cars slowed for another crash. Police say that Johnson was driving at 68 miles per hour at the time of the crash and that he didn’t hit the brakes. Five of the students died in the crash and the other two were seriously injured.

Trucking Company Creates Scholarship Fund For Nursing Students

As part of the agreement with the DA, Total Transportation contributed $200,000 to the Brightstar Educational Foundation, which will provide scholarship funds for Georgia nursing students. The foundation will also fund driver education programs in Georgia.

Attorney: “You’re Not Going To Put The CEO In Jail”

While some are disappointed that the DA dropped the charges, an attorney for one of the victim’s families says that there isn’t much more that can be done: “You’re not going to put the corporation in jail. You’re not going to put the CEO in jail. You’re not going to punish them that way. The only way to punish a corporation, of course, is to hit their bottom line. So what the DA did here was actually an admirable thing, and he fixed it so the company had to pay money in order to get out of their criminal liability.

Truck Driver Still To Face Charges

Johnson still has to face five charges of vehicular homicide. He will appear in court on July 14.

Sources:
Bryan County News
WRDW
CBS 46

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