The driver of a tractor-trailer was charged Monday with drunken driving after slamming into a hayride and killing a toddler and three adults.
The crash happened Sunday night, when the 18-wheeler hit a flatbed trailer and the tractor pulling it. Sixteen people were injured; two remained hospitalized.
Investigators said it was unclear how fast the truck was going, and they would not disclose the truck driver’s blood-alcohol level.
Jake Davis Jr., 51, tried to swerve to the left to avoid overtaking and hitting the hayride, authorities said. At the same time, tractor driver Franklin Jones Jr., 33, swerved in the same direction to avoid being hit, said Highway Patrol Lance Cpl. Paul Brouthers. The flatbed trailer did not have taillights, Brouthers said.
Authorities identified the dead as Jerry Wayne Jones, Freddie Lynn Jones, Shiwanna Lowery and 2-year-old Javon Jones. The adults’ ages and the relationship between the Joneses were not immediately disclosed.
