Charges amended for trucker in distracted driving accident that killed two

Charges against a truck driver responsible for a fiery distracted driving wreck that killed two were amended on Tuesday. 

The charges were amended from felonies to misdemeanors on December 21st for the wreck that occurred in September 2021. 

According to WOWT News, truck driver Yorkwind Crawford rear ended a car on eastbound Interstate 80 near the 27th Street interchange in Lincoln, Nebraska and continued for a full mile before stopping, striking several other cars along the way. The accident killed a father and son: 41-year-old Mark Kaipust and his 7-year-old son, Taylor. Five other people were injured in the incident. 

Investigators say that speed and inattention were contributing factors behind the wreck, which led to Crawford’s original charges of two counts of motor vehicle homicide-reckless/willful, landing him a maximum of three years in prison and a $10,000 fine. 

As of Tuesday, those charges have been amended to only motor vehicle homicide. Crawford will now face up to one year in prison and a $1,000 fine.