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An Arizona truck driver was using TikTok when he caused a fiery pileup that killed five people earlier this year — and is facing a slew of hefty charges.
Danny G. Tiner, 36, was arrested Thursday on five counts of homicide, four counts of endangerment, and one of tampering with physical evidence, the Arizona Department of Public Safety (AZDPS) announced in a statement.
Tiner was “actively using the TikTok application on his cell phone” and driving 68 mph in a 55-mph construction zone on Interstate 10 near Chandler when his commercial tractor-trailer collided with stopped traffic around 6:14 a.m. January 12, the statement read.
Tiner’s truck shoved two cars between another semi and two other vehicles.
The crushed cars burst into flames, killing five, 3TV/CBS 5 reported.
The grisly accident shut down the freeway for 11 hours.
Tiner initially told first responders that he was acknowledging a message on his work tablet when the crash occurred, the AZDPS statement explained.
Investigators from the AZDPS and the FBI later examined the driver’s phone, and found he had actually been using the popular video sharing app.
As of Friday afternoon, Tiner remains in custody at Maricopa County Jail.
At the time of the crash, Tiner was driving a semi-truck for Mr. Bult’s Inc. (MBI), an Illinois-based waste transportation firm that has been involved in at least 26 crashes in Arizona in just two years, 3TV/CBS 5 said.
MBI drivers also have slews of violations in the state, including citations for speeding, not wearing a seatbelt, and using the phone while driving, the outlet reported.
MBI did not immediately respond to The Post’s request for a comment on Tiner’s arrest.
Shortly after the accident, the wife of crash victim Willis Doss said she planned to sue both Tiner and MBI for wrongful death.
“I just went into shock. Then I passed out,” Tondra Doss told 3TV/CBS 5 of the moment she learned of her husband’s death.
“It’s so hard for me. I swear it’s so hard for me.”
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