I've heard multiple witnesses. There were several individuals in this truck pulling boat. So, I hope this does not make the news. [music] He's getting some breaking news into our newsroom. >> I think it is. >> Yeah. >> Jesus Christ. >> Mind if I take a look at your phone? I just want to roll that out. Make sure you weren't on your phone. It's 6:00 a.m. in Maricopa County, Arizona, where one distracted truck driver's alleged tick- tock habit has just turned deadly. >> You know, if anybody's out, >> is everybody out of that? >> No. Okay. >> Okay. That vehicle >> a little bit. That vehicle, anybody in it? >> I don't know. Maybe. No, I don't know. Did you see anybody in that vehicle? >> Uh there I don't know. >> This guy said at least one Per multiple witnesses, there were several individuals in this truck pulling over. A state trooper finds a fiery scene that investigators said was caused by the driver of a tractor trailer who failed to stop in standstill traffic, causing a multi-vehicle collision. >> Did you guys see there's someone in that truck? Yeah. Okay. >> I don't know how to go. >> Okay. Appreciate it, >> officer. >> Yeah. >> I got a suggestion. >> Yeah. >> It's possible they can move up. >> Witnesses tell first responders that at least two people were spotted in the burning vehicles sandwiched between the pair of semi-truckss, but the death toll would later rise to five after further investigation. Those victims include Gilberto Franco, Ryan Gooding, Andrew Standerford, Willis Thompson, and Herardo Vasquez. >> Okay. Are you the truck in the front? >> Yeah. Yeah. >> I was stopped and the other guy hit I just hit me and I was like, "What the hell?" And I put my flashes. I said, "They don't see me." This coming stop. >> This is coming so far. I don't know. It's a net. God, >> it's a net. >> Yeah. >> Oh my god. No. >> 1811. >> Please don't. >> Just for info. There is a uh SUV that I did not see before but completely destroyed. Unknown 60° inside. >> This is my truck. They remove this. >> Whose truck? Do you know who band this is? >> These guys right here. >> The trooper tries to help others clear the area before more backup arrives. >> I couldn't get a good look inside, but right before that start flaming up. I'm pretty sure I saw it. What's that? >> 60. >> Oh, yeah. That whole SUV is gone. So, at least two two people in that truck and then whoever's in that SUV. I didn't even see the SUV at first. So, those flames just started coming up and I'm pretty sure I was able to make out of >> at least one. >> Yeah. >> Okay. But I'm not 100%. >> I want to move. Oh, well. I was going to try to move this truck, but the fire's already working on it, so there's no point in this. Investigators would later discover a pickup truck and a Toyota Camry were rearended by the tractor trailer, pushing both vehicles underneath the semi in front of them. The impact then allegedly caused a chain reaction, impacting two other vehicles ahead in traffic. >> The only witness, I think, is that uh that white truck that's in the very back. Yeah. >> Jesus Christ. Heat. Heat. Next, one investigator catches up with the suspect. >> You speak English? >> Troopers identify the man seen here as 38-year-old Danny Glenn Tiner, an Arizona truck driver who prosecutors allege was watching Tik Tok at the time of the fatal crash. >> Yeah, I was thinking. >> Okay, perfect. >> I can't see right everything flew off. My hat, my headset, everything. Were you involved at all? >> I'm the truck driver >> on this back truck? >> Yes. >> Okay. What happened? >> I looked >> All I did was look down real quick, looked up, and they were all right there and I slammed on my brakes and it just Okay. >> Do you have like your ID on that? >> Yeah. My pocket. I didn't see Heat. Heat. Heat. Heat. Yeah, I'm out. Heat. Heat. Heat. Heat. Hey. Yeah, sir. >> You're a truck driver, right? >> Yes. >> What are you carrying? >> Uh, solar panels. It's no problem. >> Solar panels. >> Yeah, solar panels. Yeah. >> So, the only problem that I have is >> reach my diesel. Okay. >> Hey, I don't know. It's a SUV, man. Uh, see I just started my hours like maybe 2 hours ago. >> Uhhuh. >> And uh I was coming this way. So and I see the I see the uh how you call right now uh congestion. So start to slow down and they just slow down and I put my flashes. That way cars behind me they can see slow down cuz a lot of cars most of the time they don't give a >> you got hit. Yeah. Okay. I was I was stopped and all of a sudden I hear like boom, somebody hit me. Like what the hell? >> You can just stay over there for a second. Okay. >> Moments later, Danny is taken to an ambulance to be evaluated before another investigator swoops in with some questions for the truck driver. >> What's your first name? >> Danny. >> Is it Daniel on your driver's license or Danny? Danny. Oh, you have it. Sweet. Cop asked me to pull it out before and he never took it. >> Hang on to it the whole time. >> As you can tell, we got a lot going on. >> Yeah. >> All I did was look down at my tablet real quick and then lift up the brakes, slammed on the brakes, and took up and then that's what happened. >> Danny initially tells the detective he was looking down at a work tablet before noticing the stop traffic and slamming on his brakes. >> Will you ask him what he had in the back of that? What? What' you have in the back of your trailer? All garbage. >> All garbage. >> All garbage. >> Just trash. >> Just trash. >> Nothing hazardous that you know of. >> As far as I know, no. >> Okay. Thank you. >> Do you know how fast you're going? >> Speed limit 65. >> Okay. >> Accept the cruise control. The speed limit. >> Okay. Um I can hover my foot over the brake just in case. >> Okay. Uh did you have your seat belt on? >> Yes, I did. >> Okay. >> So I think that's why my shoulder's [ __ ] killing me. Ah. >> All right. So, what happened? So, you're just you're So, you left uh 19th Broadway, got on the freeway, >> got on the freeway, came down here. There was traffic on 17 a little bit. So, and then I got over here, got to here where it turns into the 10, came down, and it was running pretty smooth. All I did was uh look down real quick at the tablet because a message came through and then I was like, "What the heck?" Okay, whatever. And right when I looked back at the road, brake lights. >> Okay. >> And I slammed on and I slammed on my brake and it just kept truck, you know, overweight truck. Just keeps going forward. Not overweight, but 40 weight truck 80 lb 48. We just got the permit today in the snow. I was going to give an accident. >> So, you just you look down, you look back up, you just saw a bunch of brake lights >> and you tried to stop. >> Mhm. >> The reason why I use my cruise cone, I leave my foot over the brake pedal so that we get stuff >> like that or >> we get it all the time. We'll get people trying to instead of waiting behind us a couple seconds to get off of that exit, they'll run around us and then cut us off. Mhm. >> Like what the hell? >> Okay. Do you know how much your vehicle was? How much you wait? >> No. >> How much was your trailer? How about that? Your load? Do you know? >> It was on the No, cuz we just pick up and we go off the gauge in the truck and then we we wait when we get out to to scale. >> What was the last weight you saw on the on your truck? >> It was at 40. Was the gauge anyways? Is the gauge read at like 4950 somewhere in there? >> 49,000ish. Okay. >> Authorities determined that Danny, who said he was going the speed limit of 65, was allegedly driving at a rate of 68 mph in a 55 mph construction zone. >> And now what? You said your uh shoulder hurts. >> Yeah. >> Which shoulder? Left. Okay. >> Yeah, cuz that's what the seat belt goes across. Neil's kind of stuck. He get out of the dash. I hope that person got out of the vehicle. Uh, anything else? Left shoulder beside your knee. My knee. >> Which knee? >> Right knee. Dash came up. Anything else? No, >> that's about it. >> Just your left shoulder and your right knee. Okay. Trying to help me get out and I was trying to kick the window out. Couldn't get it out when he bashed the back window out that way. Wasn't anybody that car or vehicle or whatever I hit. Was it? >> I We don't know. I don't know yet. I didn't really walk up anywhere. I just came here. and they wanted me to get your info and make sure you're okay and see if you're going to get transported or not. [cough] >> I'm going to close this door. I'm going to come around and and open that door. Okay. >> All right. >> The detective dodges Danny's question about the other drivers before stepping out and speaking with him through the rear ambulance door where the suspect apparently has another concern. What's >> that? Did not make the noise. I think it did. That's your helicopter right there. >> We sent Daniel over here. >> Huh? >> Is he uh >> Yeah, he's talking to the primary witness and the other uh that other officer getting some info. Next, authorities get a chance to speak with another driver involved in the six vehicle collision. Let's see what he has to say as one trooper translates the conversation. >> So, he was stopped for about 10 15 20 seconds. >> Yeah. Following a good distance from the van in front of him. 15 20 seconds later, he felt the big hit from behind. >> Just one impact. >> Yeah. One impact. Can you see if the car was stopped behind him and all? >> Did he see the truck coming? No. >> He was able to see the semi coming towards him, but he didn't see He never saw anybody behind him other than this. over there. >> So he said he couldn't see who was directly behind him if there was anybody behind him, >> but because of the trailer, but he was able to see the red semi coming at him fast, >> that dude's not going to be able to stop. >> Back with the suspect, another detective has stepped in to further question him. >> Like I said, my name is uh Detective Joe Richie. Um I'm with the Arizona uh Department of Public Safety, the vehicular crimes unit. And just regarding this crash, can you just kind of tell me what happened? >> Um, I set the like I normally do when I get on the highway, got up to speed, set the cruise control. I always keep my foot hovering over the brake. I looked over at my tablet, it made a noise, so I just looked at it real quick. And then I looked back at the road, brake lights, and I tried to slam on my brakes, and the just the weight of the truck just kept going forward. Danny doubles down on his story of checking a notification on his work tablet, but an FBI analysis of his phone allegedly indicated the 38-year-old was actively using Tik Tok around the time of the incident. >> Uh, what was traffic like here before the collision before you saw those brake lights? >> There was no one like there was no one in front of me, nothing. It was wide open. Everyone was moving at the pace. Everyone was going good. And that's when I heard the instant I looked down, looked up, that's when I saw brake lights. Okay. >> Like everyone just started breaking. I was like, "Crap." >> Okay. Which >> you do any kind take any kind of uh other substances? Um marijuana. >> I don't want to up my license. So no. >> Yeah. So um that's good. >> I mean me and my friends have talked about that stuff. We don't want to up our license and like that. >> I mean like my buddy we we joke about it like we piss test us anytime. We'll piss Aquafina. We don't care. >> We keep our clean. We want our license. Yeah, smart. Real smart. Um when uh when the crash happened, so just kind of back back up a little bit. The um you get a message on your ELD. Do you know what the message said? >> No, cuz right when I looked and then I looked back up because I looked real quick to see what was going off and then looked up and that's when I saw brake lights. Based on digital forensic data from Danny's phone, authorities determined he allegedly accessed at least four separate Tik Tok videos seconds before the fatal crash. >> See anything right now? Sucks not having a glass. >> Were you wearing your glasses when the show happened? >> You just lost them after the impact and all that. >> Yeah, my hat and everything flew out. >> Hope the guy that I got the hat from me and sent me to say unfortunately I don't think you're going to find them after looking in your truck right now. >> Yeah. Luckily for you, you got out of that thing. >> Yeah. >> I was I was on the side and I heard I heard somebody yell fire and I was like what the yanked out. My knee hurts a little bit from getting out from between the dash and everything and sitting there trying to kick the window out of my side. Driver's side wouldn't break. >> So they uh >> I guess there was an officer behind me was behind me I guess or something. other guy. He came up with the the tried to pry the door open, couldn't get it open, so he just busted out the back of the window. I climbed out through the back window. >> Okay. >> So, what exactly happened out there? >> I was going down the road. I set up my cruise control at 65 >> and I because I, you know, three years on the road, almost four years now with my CDL and I'm like, you know, I learned to over the road and everything except the cruise control and have my foot always help with the brake. I've had so many cars being impatient to go from, you know, wait just a couple seconds behind me to get off at the exit to race around me and they cut me off to get off the exit. >> So, it's like it's like those knuckleheads going from HOV to the exit ramp with like a quarter mile to spare. Eh, >> not bad, too. >> So, so you had your crew Look, it's a big truck or a company. Let's try to slam the brakes and get hit and get some money. Think it's a payday, >> right? >> It's like, um, you do know that's a dead center truck. >> You heard that right. Danny refers to a hypothetical scenario where a crash involving his rig would result in a quote death sentence. >> You attempted to break. Yeah. >> Just wasn't going to be able to stop that big truck. >> No. No. all freaking out calling me. >> Boss is trying to come down here. The current is stuck over on Ray Road. I think we saw him sitting over there. They just want to >> red truck. >> Right now, they're just trying to keep as few people out here as possible while they're working all this. I'm just driving I've been trying to ask someone but no one would answer. I was like the person in the truck get out. >> What time did you go home last night? >> I went home around it was like when I left the yard probably around 2 3 3:00 I think. 3 3 is the latest. 3 p.m. >> That's when you officially logged on at work. That's your official off duty time. Okay. >> And what time did you start this morning? >> About 4:30. >> The crash kicked off a monthsl long investigation leading to what Arizona authorities would call the state's first fatal collision connected to a driver's use of social media. >> Another one. >> Might be another. >> No way. Yeah, dude. I think that's >> really you see more than >> more than four uh rims. >> Yeah. >> So you have the semi the semi right there. Right. That's the wheel for the semi. >> That wheel right there is attached to the frame and the tail pipe of a 3/4 ton truck with eight wheels or eight lugs. >> And then the wheel over here is a five lug wheel a car truck. >> So that's one right there. That's another one over there. Then the cab of the semi is over there. trailer room. So, we might end up having five or or sorry, six, six or seven if it was more than two right there. But there's two for sure there. >> That's two bodies right there, right? That I can see that one. >> Yeah. And they said that's that body right there. That might be another one or a piece of him. He doesn't know. >> Danny is eventually cleared by paramedics and sat in a patrol car where investigators have one more question for him. >> So, there are some questions. Uh, I don't know if this is uh pertinent. Um, mind if I take a look at your code? I just want to rule that out. Make sure you weren't on your phone. >> Uh, can you Is it open? >> Yeah, it's open. >> Uh, so text messages. Is that text messages? >> Yeah. >> Do you mind if I look at them? Um, so it looks like if I'm if I'm looking at this right, you got a text message. What's today's date? >> Thursday, January 12th. >> The 12th. So you got a text message yesterday and then the first one you got this morning was at 6:12. >> Is that right? Yeah. >> Um, were you on the internet or anything? >> Where was your phone at when uh when it crashed happened? >> Pocket. >> In your pocket. Okay. >> Um, do you mind if I take a look at the internet? >> Uh, can you pull that pull your internet up for me? >> That's okay. >> Okay. >> That's what that driving. >> I got my head I normally have my headset burnt from the truck. I have a headset so someone can call. I hit it and >> Okay, I got you. All right. >> I don't know. Can I Can I see your call? >> Danny was arrested at his home 6 months later and initially charged with evidence tampering, five counts of manslaughter and four counts of endangerment after accepting a deal. Court records show Dany pleaded guilty to lesser charges and was sentenced to over 22 years behind bars.