Semi Trucker Plows Into Van Killing 7

A trucker was traveling on Interstate 5 when his truck crashed. The semi left the northbound lanes of I-5 and hit a parked van that was on the side of the road, according to police. The big rig pushed the van into the back of another truck parked in front of it. The media reported that the dead were Mexican farmworkers. 

Lincoln Clayton Smith was identified as the driver of a semi truck who allegedly crashed into a van killing the seven people. He also injured four others. Smith was arrested on several charges including manslaughter and reckless driving, Oregon police said. He has also been arrested on suspicion of DUI. Eleven people were in the van when it was struck, authorities said. 

Of the 11, six people died at the scene, one more died after being airlifted to a hospital, according to Oregon State Police. The Oregon labor group Pineros Y Campesinos Unidos del Noroest, or PCUN, got involved as an organization that represents the interests of Mexican farmworkers. The group described the deceased and injured as farmworkers who were headed home after working area fields. 

Lincoln Clayton Smith is 52 and is from North Highlands, California. He was taken into custody following the crash last week on Interstate 5 near the Santiam Rest Area, in Oregon. Smith’s next court date is May 30. Smith was not injured but was transported for medical evaluation, authorities said. 

One of the people in the crash was transported to the hospital by Life Flight. That was the person taken to the hospital and pronounced dead, Oregon State Police said in a news release. They are expected to provide more information on the four others who were hospitalized with various injuries. Smith was later charged with seven counts of second-degree manslaughter, three counts of third-degree assault, reckless driving, and driving under the influence of intoxicants. Smith was being held in Marion County Jail.