The driver of a semi-truck that allegedly crashed into a pickup truck killing seven people and injuring four others has been arrested on various charges including manslaughter and reckless driving, Oregon police said.
Lincoln Clayton Smith, 52, of North Highlands, California, was arrested following a crash Thursday afternoon on Interstate 5 near the Santiam rest area in Oregon.
Six people died at the scene and one person was transported by Life Flight to the hospital, where they were pronounced dead, the Oregon State Police said in a news release. Four others were hospitalized with various injuries.
Smith was traveling north on Interstate 5 when the truck skidded off the roadway on the shoulder and struck a Ford Econoline passenger van with 11 people inside, police said. The van was pushed into another parked truck, causing «extreme damage» to the van, according to authorities.
The seven people killed and four others injured were in the van, police said. Their identities have not been revealed.
Smith was not injured but was transported for medical evaluation, authorities said. He was later arrested and charged with seven counts of second degree manslaughter, three counts of third degree assault, reckless driving and driving under the influence of alcoholic beverages.
The cause of the crash is under investigation.
His next court date is May 30, online records show. The lawyer’s information was not available.
erick mendoza contributed.