Danny Glen Tiner was a truck driver who was operating in Arizona and watching TikTok while driving which led to the deaths of five people
According to court documents Danny Glen Tiner was driving near Chandler Arizona and watching TikTok vehicles when his semitruck slammed into a series of vehicles, causing a six car pile up and killing five people: Ryan Gooding, Andrew Standifird, Jerardo Vazquez, Willis Thompson and Gilberto Franco
At the time of the crash Danny Glen Tiner was driving nearly seventy miles per hour in a fifty five mile construction zone
Danny Glen Tiner would be arrested, convicted and sentenced to twenty two and a half years in prison
This incident just shows the danger of distracted driving and the consequences that can go with it. Unfortunately it is not uncommon to see a professional CDL driver watching videos on his/her phone while driving down the interstate. Obviously it is completely unprofessional but the dangers are very real
As a CDL driver if you make a mistake like Danny Glen Tiner obviously did there are real consequences where you not only lose your license but you could spend years behind bars
Danny Glen Tiner Case
On Friday, Aug. 16, 2024, commercial vehicle driver Danny G. Tiner, 38, was sentenced to 22.5 years in prison in connection with a Jan. 12, 2023, fatal collision on Interstate 10 in Chandler which resulted in the deaths of five people.
Arizona Department of Public Safety (AZDPS) troopers initially suspected driver distraction as a possible factor in the collision. Following months of investigation, troopers determined Tiner was traveling 68 mph in the posted 55-mph construction zone and was actively using the TikTok application on his cell phone at the time of the collision. Troopers arrested Tiner at his home on June 29, 2023, on charges including five counts of manslaughter, four counts of endangerment and one count of tampering with evidence.
In June of 2024, Tiner pleaded guilty to five counts of negligent homicide.
This marks the first case in AZDPS history in which a driver has been convicted of causing a fatal collision while distracted by a social media application.
“Troopers and our law enforcement partners worked tirelessly to ensure a thorough investigation for the victims and their families,” said AZDPS Sergeant Smith. “This tragedy was entirely preventable. Don’t risk lives – put your phone away and give driving your full attention.”
AZDPS would like to thank our partners at the Maricopa County Attorney’s Office and the FBI for their assistance throughout this investigation.
Danny Glen Tiner News
A truck driver who Arizona prosecutors said caused a deadly accident because he was watching TikTok while driving 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, officials said, he failed to stop his tractor-trailer before it ran into stopped traffic. Five people were killed, and Tiner was charged with manslaughter about six months later.
He pleaded guilty to lesser charges as part of an agreement with prosecutors.
The Maricopa County Attorney’s Office said Tuesday that he was sentenced to 4½ years for each count of negligent homicide, totaling 22.5 years in prison, as each sentence will be served consecutively. Each charge carries a maximum sentence of eight years.
County Attorney Rachel Mitchell said the justice system succeeded in holding Tiner accountable.
“As a driver, you have an obligation to pay attention to the road. To choose to access social media while driving, placing the lives of others on the line, is reckless,” Mitchell said. “Five families are living through the pain of losing a loved one.”
Online court records do not list an attorney for Danny Glen Tiner.
Danny Glen Tiner initially told authorities he was checking a message on his “electronic work tablet” at the time of the crash and did not have time to stop once he looked up from the device. But 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 crash.
Authorities also said he was speeding, going 68 mph 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 affiliate KPNX of Phoenix that her son was driving his co-workers Vasquez, Thompson and Franco to work. The four men worked at AAA Landscaping.
The tractor-trailer driven by Tiner rear-ended Standifird’s Ford F-250, which caused it and a Toyota Camry to be wedged underneath another semi-truck in front of the three vehicles. All four co-workers were killed, along with Gooding, who was driving the Camry.
“My son died on impact, but he burned,” Sarah Standifird told KPNX last year. “I didn’t have a proper burial. I have ashes. And I had to identify him with 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 crash. The couple were set to be married in Las Vegas after having been together for 10 years.
She told the station she began to worry when Gooding’s employer reached out to say he hadn’t shown up around 11 a.m., roughly five hours after the crash. Johnson failed to get hold of him, so, she said, she began calling hospitals, as well as the police.
“I just kept waiting to hear the garage door, never heard it, and that’s when the trooper showed up; his face, I could just tell it wasn’t good news,” Johnson said.
