Truck Driver’s Distracted Driving Leads to Fatal Crash
Investigators from the National Transportation Safety Board revealed that the truck driver involved in a deadly crash on Interstate 95 last summer, which claimed five lives, was using his cellphone when the incident occurred.
Charles Haskell, a 51-year-old from Las Vegas, was traveling north on I-95 near Kenly on July 24, 2024, when he received a text message. An NTSB report states that less than a minute later, he made a voice call.
Within three seconds of the call, Haskell’s Freightliner tractor-trailer, loaded with orange juice, crashed into stopped vehicles at 70 mph. The North Carolina Highway Patrol found that he did not brake before colliding with a Chevrolet Tahoe, which was traveling at approximately 20 mph, causing a chain-reaction crash involving additional vehicles.
Haskell faces charges for failing to reduce speed and five counts of misdemeanor death by vehicle. His case is ongoing in Wilson County Superior Court, while the NTSB has not yet released a final report detailing the cause of the accident.
Although Haskell declined to speak to investigators, they reconstructed his activities leading up to the crash using his truck’s electronic log and cellphone records. Haskell had made numerous long trips in the weeks prior to the incident, culminating in the crash after a trip from Florida to New Jersey.
On the day of the incident, Haskell was frequently using his cellphone, sending and receiving hundreds of messages and calls leading up to the crash. His final call, made at 1:22 p.m., triggered an automatic 911 call due to a crash detection feature on his iPhone just seconds later.
Crash Details and Casualties
The crash occurred near a construction zone, where traffic had slowed. Haskell’s truck collided with the Tahoe, killing its driver William Carroll Tucker and his wife, as well as the driver of a Toyota RAV-4 and his passengers. Haskell’s truck ultimately caught fire after coming to a stop, but he was able to escape with minor injuries.
