A truck driver who killed five bicyclists on a Nevada highway has been charged with a DUI Tuesday after prosecutors claim the driver had nine times the allowable amount of methamphetamine in his system.
45-year-old Jordan Alexander Barson said that he fell asleep at the wheel of his truck when he hit at least seven cyclists in a group of approximately 20 on the morning of Dec. 10, the Associated Press reported. After striking the bicyclists, Barson’s box truck also hit the rear of a Subaru which had been providing support for the bicyclists, Nevada Highway Patrol Trooper Travis Smaka wrote in a release, according to the Reno Gazette Journal.
One of the badly injured cyclists needed to be airlifted to UMC Trauma, eventually reaching a stable condition, the Reno Gazette Journal reported. The truck driver himself sustained no significant injuries and cooperated with police while they investigated the crash, according to Fox Las Vegas. (RELATED: Murder Suspect Reportedly Escapes Police Custody During Pit Stop At McDonalds)
Former Las Vegas Police Officer and one of the cyclists who survived the deadly incident, Michael Anderson, organized a fundraiser to support victims of the crime which has raised nearly $88,000. “I’ve seen stuff as a police officer in public service…It’s the worst thing I could ever see in my life,” Anderson admitted to Fox Las Vegas.
DA: the man behind the wheel of the box truck in thursday’s crash that killed 5 cyclists had meth in his system.
He’s in custody, awaiting extradition from Mohave County, AZ.
ID’d as Jordan Barson, he is charged w/ 5 counts of DUI resulting in death. @News3LV
— Max Darrow (@MaxNews3LV) December 16, 2020
Clark County DA Steve Wolfson said that he was, “at a loss for words over the tragedy,” according to Fox Las Vegas. A cyclist himself, Wolfson said that the loss of the five cyclists will “exponentially” affect the severity of the case.
Barson is currently charged with a total of twelve counts of DUI and reckless driving, according to the Reno Gazette Journal.
Court and jail records have not shown that Barson has an attorney, the Associated Press reported.