Two truck drivers face serious charges and possible prison time following separate pileup crashes that left two people dead since Saturday.
Eight Vehicle Pileup In Virginia Kills Five Year Old, Truck Driver Charged
The first crash occurred on the morning of September 26 on I-95 in Petersburg, Virginia.
Troopers say that a semi truck driven by North Carolina resident Michael W. Everette, 54, was northbound on I-95 at mile marker 51 when he changed lanes, sideswiping a Ford tow truck and a Ford pickup truck, the rear-ending a Ford Ranger pickup.
“The impact of that crash caused the Ford Ranger to strike a 2017 Hyundai Santa Fe. The tractor-trailer continued and struck another tractor-trailer. The original tractor-trailer rear-ended a 2017 Ford Escape, which pushed the Ford Escape into a 2009 Nissan Cube,” Virginia State Police said.
A 5 year old boy who was a passenger in the Ford Ranger died in the crash. Five people were taken to the hospital, four with injuries considered serious and one with injuries considered minor.
Everette was not hurt.
Virginia State Police charged Everette with reckless driving.
Homicide Charge for Trucker Following Nine Vehicle Pileup in Georgia
The second crash occurred in Augusta, Georgia, around 1 p.m. on Tuesday, September 29.
Georgia State Police say that truck driver Royce Kaleb Smith, 26, was traveling east on I-20 when he rear ended an SUV in slowing traffic at mile marker 180 before crashing into seven other vehicles.
The SUV driver, 54 year old Brenda Anderson, died in the crash.
Smith was charged with second-degree homicide by vehicle, driving too fast for conditions, and following too closely.
Both crashes show the risks involved in trucking — one small mistake can result not just in the loss of a job but in serious charges or even prison time.