TOOELE (ABC4) — The gravel truck that careened out of control through a northern Utah town in November, smashing into dozens of cars, injuring 11 people and starting a fire at an auto dealership, had multiple defective brakes, investigators found. Now police have recommended charges against the driver and trucking company owner.
An accident report from Tooele police and Utah Highway Patrol says the truck that blazed a path of destruction on Tooele’s Main Street on Nov. 3 had about “80% of [its] trailer braking system not functioning correctly.”
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The report was submitted this week to the Tooele City Attorney’s Office recommending charges of reckless endangerment against the driver, 29-year-old Moab Stapley, of Grantsville, and the owner of CL Ranch Transport, 59-year-old Alan Strickland, also of Grantsville.
While no one was killed in the crash, 11 people were hurt, including one person who was airlifted to a hospital. More than 30 vehicles, including 27 that were in the Tooele Motor Company, were damaged in the crash, which spanned several intersections before ending in flames at the dealership.
Stapley was not hurt in the crash. In the hours after, he told investigators that he thought the brakes gave out as he was driving north on Main Street, the police reports show. He said he tried to do everything to stop the out-of-control truck, which was hauling a full load of gravel.
Video shows gravel truck careen through Tooele intersections
Estimates from Utah Highway Patrol investigators said the truck was traveling about 30 mph and should have been able to stop in roughly the space of 100 feet had the brakes been working. But without the brakes being applied, the truck increased its speed as it rolled through intersections.
Dashcam videos of the crash show the truck honking its horn and swerving to avoid traffic as it rolls out of control. Even so, the vehicle slams into multiple vehicles as it runs red lights.
When speaking with investigators, Stapley said he inspected the truck’s brakes each morning, noting that they appeared to be working the morning of the crash, as he had completed other trips that day.
Yet, when an investigator pointed out that one of his trailer’s braking devices was rusted through and a component wasn’t even connected, Stapley conceded that it was possible those details might have escaped his attention, the police report states.
Strickland, who is Stapley’s father, said that his trailers were last inspected in July. He added that the trailers were serviced over the last weekend, noting that the work was done by his kids, Stapley and his brother, another driver for the company.
Strickland attributed “inexperience on the driver’s part” to the crash, noting that his son “must have panicked” when he initially felt the brakes weren’t working, the police report said.
When asked about the condition of the brake system on the trailers, he said that such wear and tear is typical in his type of gravel-hauling work, as the rocks are unloaded from the bottom and often get into the brakes.
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