Driver sentenced to 579 months in prison for fatal crash after “partying” with hitchhikers

A truck driver was sentenced to more than 48 years in prison on Tuesday for a crash with a packed van that killed seven people after a night “partying” with hitchhikers.

The accident happened on May 18th, 2023 near Albany, Oregon. 54-year-old truck driver Lincoln Smith was sentenced on March 4th, 2025. 

According to 2 ABC, Smith was convicted of seven counts of Manslaughter in the Second Degree, three counts of Assault in the Third Degree, and one count of reckless driving. He was found not guilty of driving under the influence of intoxicants. 

His sentence of 579 months, or 48.25 years, is the total of each conviction’s sentence served consecutively. He has been sentenced without the possibility of reduction. 

During his trial, Smith testified that he had been “partying” with what were described as hitchhikers the night before the crash. He admitted that during his “partying” he had used methamphetamine and cocaine. 

Evidence at trial showed that Smith began to feel tired while driving at around noon, but continued driving for two hours before eventually falling asleep at the wheel. Smith then crashed into the van. Blood tests after the crash confirmed the presence of methamphetamine, cocaine, and fentanyl in Smith’s blood.