Semi-truck driver in Oregon I-5 crash that killed 7 farmworkers indicted on 12 charges
SALEM, Ore. — The semi-truck driver involved in a deadly Oregon crash that killed seven people and injured four others on Interstate 5 in early May was indicted by a grand jury Tuesday on charges of manslaughter, according to court records.
A grand jury in Marion County Court indicted Lincoln Clayton Smith, a 52-year-old from California, on 12 counts, including seven charges of manslaughter. The grand jury also indicted Smith on charges of assault, reckless driving, and driving under the influence of intoxicants.
The May 18 crash is one of Oregon’s deadliest highway crashes after seven farmworkers were killed when the 18-wheeler Smith was driving veered off the highway, striking a passenger van and another parked semi-truck.
While Smith's court appearance Tuesday morning was brief, family members and coworkers of the victims filled the courtroom. Smith was being held without bail in Marion County Jail, according to the sheriff’s office website.
All 11 people killed and injured in the crash were contract farmworkers for J. Ruiz Farm Labor Contracting. They had been working in a sugar beet field outside Albany, Oregon, and were on their way home for the day, said administrative manager Anmarie Ruiz.
Ruiz said the devastation from their loss is "immeasurable."
California car crash: One dead, 10 injured including children ages 3 to 8, after car crashes into tree in California
Semi-truck driver was under the influence, court documents allege
Smith allegedly was under the influence of a controlled substance and an inhalant, according to charging documents.
At his arraignment on May 19, authorities said Smith had refused a field sobriety test. He was also unable to focus and answer basic questions. A district attorney said Smith admitted to taking speed the day before the crash and was in possession of methamphetamine.
Witnesses of the crash reported seeing the semi-truck veering on and off the road before the collision.
Deputy district attorney David Wilson said Smith had at least 17 arrests in California and nine previous convictions. California court records show several felony charges against him, but court officials said details were not immediately available.
The company featured on the truck Smith was driving did not respond to requests for comment.
Smith is scheduled to appear in court again on June 6.
Fertility doctor dies in plane crash: Fertility doctor Morris Wortman, accused of using own sperm with patients, dies in plane crash
Victims identified as farmworkers
Oregon State Police identified the victims as: Eduardo Lopez, 31, and Alejandro Jimenez Hernandez, 36, of Gervais, Oregon; Josue Garcia Garcia, 30, of Salem, Oregon; Luis Enrique Gomez Reyes, 30, Javier Suarez, 58, Alejandra Espinoza Carpio, 39, Juan Carlos Leyva Carrillo, 37, of Woodburn, Oregon.
Those who were injured were identified as Maria Flores Martinez, 60; Hector Galindo, 45; Jose Eduardo Solis Flores, 41; and Adan Garcia Garcia, 40. Authorities said Martinez, Galindo, and Solis Flores were still receiving treatment for their injuries as of last Monday.
The Mexican Consulate in Portland said the 11 killed and injured were of Mexican nationality. Police listed all but one of the farmworkers as living in Oregon cities near the crash.
The crash was on a roadside near Albany in an agricultural area of the Willamette Valley in western Oregon. At the time of the crash, the 11 farmworkers were heading home after work, the state’s farmworkers union said.
Albany is about 70 miles south of Portland.
Contributing: Associated Press
Shannon Sollitt covers agricultural workers through Report for America, a program that aims to support local journalism and democracy by reporting on under-covered issues and communities. Send tips, questions and comments to ssollitt@statesmanjournal.com
This article originally appeared on USA TODAY NETWORK: Semi-truck driver in Oregon I-5 crash indicted on manslaughter charges
