Truck driver distracted by TikTok sentenced to over 22 years in prison in Arizona accident that killed five people

A truck driver who caused a fatal accident because he watched TikTok while driving, according to the Arizona State Attorney General's Office, has been sentenced to more than 22 years in prison.

Danny Glen Tiner was driving on Interstate 10 near Chandler on the morning of Jan. 12, 2023, when he failed to stop his semi-trailer before veering into stopped traffic, according to authorities. Five people were killed, and about six months after the crash, Tiner was charged with manslaughter.

As part of an agreement with prosecutors, he pleaded guilty to the lesser charges.

The Maricopa County Attorney's Office announced Tuesday that he was sentenced to four and a half years for each count of involuntary manslaughter. That's a total of 22.5 years in prison, as each sentence must be served consecutively. The maximum sentence for each count is eight years.

Maricopa County Attorney Rachel Mitchell said the justice system succeeded in bringing Tiner to justice.

“As a driver, you have a duty to pay attention to the road. Choosing to access social media while driving and putting the lives of others at risk is reckless,” Mitchell said. “Five families are experiencing the pain of losing a loved one.”

No attorney is listed for Tiner in online court records.

Tiner initially told authorities he was checking a message on his “work electronic tablet” at the time of the accident and didn't have time to stop when he looked up from the device. However, the Arizona Department of Public Safety said an FBI analysis of Tiner's phone showed he was actively using TikTok at the time of the accident.

Authorities also said he was speeding, 68 miles per hour in a 55 mph zone.

The victims were Ryan Gooding, Andrew Standifird, Jerardo Vazquez, Willis Thompson and Gilberto Franco.

Standifird's mother, Sarah Standifird, told NBC news station KPNX in Phoenix that her son drove to work to meet his co-workers Vasquez, Thompson and Franco. The four men worked at AAA Landscaping.

Standifird's Ford F-250 was struck from behind by the semi-trailer driven by Tiner, trapping it and a Toyota Camry under another semi-trailer in front of the three vehicles. All four co-workers, as well as Gooding, who was driving the Camry, were killed.

“My son died on impact, but he was burned,” Sarah Standifird told KPNX last year. “I didn't have a proper burial. I have ashes. And I had to identify him from his dental records. That was very hard.”

Gooding's fiancée, Nikki Johnson, told KPNX that he was also on his way to work at the time of the accident. The couple were planning to get married in Las Vegas after being together for 10 years.

She told the station she started to worry when Gooding's co-worker contacted her at 11 a.m., about five hours after the accident, to say he hadn't shown up. Johnson couldn't reach him then, so she started calling hospitals and police.

“I was just waiting to hear the garage door, but I didn't hear it, and then the police officer showed up. I could just tell by his face that it wasn't good news,” Johnson said.