Lincoln Smith, a truck driver from North Highlands, California, has been convicted on seven counts of manslaughter after a fatal crash on Interstate 5 in May 2023. According to KGW, Smith veered off the road and collided with a van parked on the shoulder, pushing it into another semi-truck in front of it. The collision resulted in the death of seven occupants of the parked van, all farmworkers, with three others injured.
Investigations later revealed Smith had drugs in his system during the tragic incident. Traces of methamphetamine, fentanyl, and cocaine were found in his blood at the hospital, and authorities discovered drug paraphernalia in his possession. Despite the evidence, Smith claimed the influence of drugs had subsided by the morning of the crash, attributing the accident to falling asleep at the wheel. In a statement obtained by The Oregonian, Smith said he had “simply nodded off at the wheel and missed the exit for a rest stop.”…