Watching TikTok while driving is reportedly to blame for a deadly crash that left five people dead in Arizona on January 12, according to a news release from the Arizona Department of Public Safety.
A 36-year-old man named Danny G. Tiner was driving a tractor-trailer on Interstate 10 when he claimed he received a work message on an electronic tablet and checked it, not noticing that traffic had stopped. Tiner’s truck, which was hauling an open-top trailer with garbage in it, rear-ended two cars, crushing them between his vehicle and another commercial truck.
The second truck then lurched forward and hit two more cars.
Tiner willingly handed over his phone to officials and was immediately investigated by the FBI.
The Arizona Department of Public Safety initially cited distracted driving as a potential cause of the crash, but the investigation found that Tiner was driving 68 mph in a 55 mph zone and “actively using” TikTok on his phone at the time of the accident.
In January 2021, Arizona instated the Arizona Hands-Off Law, which makes it illegal to “use a stand-alone electronic device while driving, unless the device is in hands-free mode.”
This includes cell phones, tablets, music devices, and gaming devices.
The law states that it is illegal to “scroll through social media, watch videos, record videos, or any other use of the device that causes a distraction and requires the use of your body.”
Tiner is being charged with five counts of manslaughter, four counts of endangerment, and one count of tampering with physical evidence.
It is unclear how much prison time he may face if convicted.
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