FMCSA orders Arizona truck driver out of service for drugged crash that killed five bicyclists

The Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration (FMCSA) has issued a federal out of service order to a CMV driver following a crash that killed multiple people earlier this month.

On Monday, December 28, the FMCSA announced that the agency had issued an out of service order to Arizona-licensed commercial driver Jordan A. Barson, 45. The order was served to Barson on December 23.

The out of service order was issued in response to a crash that occurred on December 10, 2020, on US 95 in Clark County, Nevada.

The FMCSA says that Barson struck a group of seven bicyclists and their escort vehicle from the rear. He was driving a box truck at the time of the fatal crash.

Five of the bicyclists died at the scene.

Another bicyclist and the escort vehicle driver were taken to the hospital for treatment of injuries.

Following the crash, Barson was tested by a Nevada Highway Patrol officer for substance use and “was found positive for amphetamine, and – at a level almost ten times the lawful amount permitted by Nevada state law – methamphetamine.”

In addition to the out of service order, Barson has also been charged with five counts of Driving Under the Influence Resulting in Death, one count of Driving Under the Influence Resulting in Substantial Bodily Harm, five counts of Reckless Driving Resulting in Death, and one count of Reckless Driving Resulting in Substantial Bodily Harm.

The FMCSA says that Barson and the carrier he worked for failed to maintain proper record-of-duty status.

FMCSA’s imminent hazard out-of-service order states that Barson’s “blatant violations of the [federal safety regulations] and ongoing and repeated disregard for the safety of the motoring public … substantially increases the likelihood of serious injury or death to you and motoring public.”

In recently released police body-cam video, Barson can be seen weeping as he tells officers that he believes he fell asleep just before the crash.