A truck driver who pled guilty to causing an 11 vehicle chain reaction crash that claimed the lives of three people has been sentenced to decades in prison.
On Tuesday, August 6, the Dauphin County District Attorney’s Office announced that 29 year old Mississippi-based truck driver Jack E. Satterfield III had been sentenced to between 28 1/2 to 63 years in prison after he pled guilty in June to charges relating to a multiple fatality crash.
Satterfield was charged with three counts of homicide by vehicle and three counts of leaving the scene of a fatal crash.
The charges are related to an October 12, 2018 crash that happened on I-83 near Harrisburg, Pennsylvania.
Police say that Satterfield was driving northbound on I-83 around 8:30 p.m. when he failed to slow for traffic and struck several vehicles. A total of 11 vehicles were involved in the crash, and three people — including a toddler under the age of 2 — died. Seven others were taken to the hospital with injuries.
Authorities later said that Satterfield fled the scene of the crash on foot after exiting his truck through the window. He went to a hotel parking lot where he observed the crash site from a distance, police say. He was later arrested among a crowd that had gathered to watch the crash aftermath when he tried to walk away after seeing a police cruiser approach and was observed stumbling.
When Pennsylvania troopers examined Satterfield’s truck, they said they smelled a strong odor of alcohol. Satterfield later told police that he had consumed a few beers along with multiple large margaritas at a Mexican restaurant in New Jersey prior to the crash, according to Fox 43. A blood alcohol test performed around 11:20 p.m. showed a BAC of .152.
Police also say that Satterfield was driving without a valid CDL after his license was suspended due to drug possession and drug paraphernalia charges in Mississippi.
Authorities later released dash cam video of the crash from Satterfield’s truck, which you can view below.