FARIBAULT, Minn. (Gray News) – A semitruck driver is accused of watching Netflix on his phone when slamming into traffic last summer in southern Minnesota.
KCCI reports that prosecutors say the truck driver, identified as Billie Grimes, was streaming a show when he approached a construction zone on Interstate 35 going nearly 70 mph.
Grimes ended up crashing into two vehicles, a pickup truck and a Toyota Camry.
Matthew Henry Hansen, 57, and Cimberly Ellen Hansen, 56, were inside the Camry. Authorities said the Iowa couple died in the crash.
Prosecutors said Grimes drove by department of transportation signs that were warning motorists of slow-moving traffic ahead.
Grimes, 55, is facing charges that include criminal vehicular homicide, KARE reports.
According to a reported criminal complaint, Grimes’ semitruck was loaded with more than 44,000 pounds of cargo.
KARE reports that Grimes told police his phone was downloading a show from Netflix but denied using his phone while driving.
However, the criminal complaint stated crash scene investigators used dashcam video from inside Grimes’ truck to determine that he was watching a Netflix show as he was coming up on stopped or slow-moving traffic while approaching a construction zone.
Grimes reportedly told troopers that he couldn’t stop his truck because of the weight of the load and that he could not remember if he applied the brakes before the crash.
Prosecutors said Grimes was distracted to the extent that he failed to apply the brakes before he crashed into the Toyota, killing the Hansens, reports said.
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