‘Put your phone away’: Trucker scrolling TikTok while speeding sentenced for killing 5 in fiery highway crash

An Arizona truck driver will spend over two decades behind bars for killing five people in a crash on a highway that was caused by his active use of TikTok while he was behind the wheel.

On Jan. 12, 2023, Danny Glen Tiner, 38, should have had his eyes on the road while heading eastbound on Interstate 10 in Chandler, Arizona, near Wildhorse Pass Boulevard.

Instead, he was watching short-form video content on the popular social media app.

Tiner’s semitruck hurtled through a construction zone — where speeds were clearly capped at 55 mph — going 13 mph over the speed limit. Five people died in an ensuing six-vehicle collision.

On Friday, Aug. 16, Tiner was sentenced to 4.5 years in prison for each corresponding count of negligent homicide — one for every person he killed. The sentences are to be served consecutively, or one after another, a Maricopa County court order of confinement notes.

In sum, Tiner was ordered to spend a 22-and-a-half year stint in the Grand Canyon State’s Department of Corrections. He was credited 415 days spent in jail prior to his plea agreement. The entirety of his time in lockup will total roughly 21 years, four months, and one week.

The sentencing was announced by Maricopa County Rachel Mitchell in a press release issued on Monday.

“As a driver, you have an obligation to pay attention to the road,” the prosecutor said in a statement. “To choose to access social media while driving, placing the lives of others on the line, is reckless. Five families are living through the pain of losing a loved one. While the justice system can never relieve that pain, it can hold the person responsible accountable. We achieved that goal.”

On the morning of the crash, a little over an hour before daybreak, Tiner was driving 68 mph. Seconds before the fatal accident, he accessed at least four separate TikTok videos, authorities determined, based on digital forensic data recovered from his cellphone.

Traffic was heavily backed up in the construction zone — but Tiner, distracted by the video, did not recognize the highway jam in time.

“State troopers determined a man was driving a commercial truck-tractor hauling an open-top box trailer loaded with garbage,” the Arizona Department of Public Safety wrote in an initial press release at the time. “The commercial driver failed to stop for congested traffic, rear-ended two passenger vehicles, and wedged them into the back of a second commercial truck. The second commercial truck was thrust forward and struck two additional cars.”

The victims of the crash were in the two passenger vehicles and later identified as Ryan Gooding, Andrew Standifird, Jerardo Vazquez, Willis Thompson, and Gilberto Franco, according to the agency.

A monthslong investigation followed.

On June 29, 2023, Tiner was arrested at his home, according to a press release issued by the state highway safety agency on Monday.

He was initially charged with five counts of manslaughter, four counts of endangerment and one count of tampering with evidence. Tiner’s plea deal earlier this summer resulted in substantially lesser charges.

Authorities say this is the first time in state history that a fatal collision was attributed to a driver’s use of a social media application.

“Troopers and our law enforcement partners worked tirelessly to ensure a thorough investigation for the victims and their families,” AZDPS Sgt. Travis Smith said in a statement. “This tragedy was entirely preventable. Don’t risk lives — put your phone away and give driving your full attention.”