Oregon jury finds trucker guilty of manslaughter in crash that killed 7 farmworkers

USA Today

07-02-2025

Oregon jury finds trucker guilty of manslaughter in crash that killed 7 farmworkers
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Trial starts for driver charged in I-5 crash that killed 7 farmworkers
The trial for Lincoln Smith, 54, began Monday in Marion County Circuit Court.
SALEM, Ore. — An Oregon jury has found a semitruck driver guilty of manslaughter in a 2023 collision on Interstate 5 that killed seven farmworkers and injured several others in one of the state's deadliest highway crashes.
Lincoln Smith, 54, of California, was convicted Wednesday on seven charges of second-degree manslaughter, three charges of third-degree assault and reckless driving. But Marion County jurors acquitted Smith of driving under the influence after defense attorneys argued Smith was not acting recklessly and was attempting to find parking when he became tired.
The collision occurred on May 18, 2023, when Smith's semitruck veered off the highway near Albany, Oregon, an agricultural area about 25 miles south of Salem. The 53-foot, 55,000-pound semi-truck struck a passenger van and pushed it into another parked semitruck, according to prosecutors and Smith's attorneys.
The van was propelled 218 feet from the point of impact, prosecutors said. Six people died at the scene, and a seventh died in a helicopter on the way to the hospital. Three others were seriously injured and testified during the trial that they continue to experience constant pain.
Lab tests later revealed that Smith had methamphetamine, cocaine, and fentanyl in his bloodstream at the time of the incident, prosecutors said.
Emotions have run high throughout the trial, with family members, jurors, witnesses, and Smith crying at times. Smith's attorneys called the crash "grisly."
According to the Oregon Department of Transportation, the crash is among the deadliest in Oregon history.
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Prosecutors say driver was experienced, chose to use drugs before driving
Prosecutors have argued that Smith, who has been driving trucks for almost 19 years, was an experienced truck driver who decided to use drugs before getting on the road. Marion County Deputy District Attorney David Wilson also noted that in May 2023 Smith had at least 17 arrests in California and nine previous convictions.
"He admits to using meth and cocaine the night before. Again, he knows the risk," Wilson said.
Drivers near or behind Smith on the road testified at trial that they saw him swerving on and off the road before the crash. One woman called 911 after witnessing a Jeep veer off the road to avoid getting hit by Smith.
During three hours of testimony, Randall Walker, the Oregon State Police officer who evaluated Smith for signs of intoxication after the crash, reaffirmed his belief Smith was under the influence at the time of the crash.
Smith, he said, had constricted pupils, struggled to answer questions about where he had been driving, and often took a long time to respond. In body camera footage played in court, Smith could not recall his phone number but recalled his girlfriend's number and his home address.
"I'm getting really dizzy, I can't remember (expletive)," he said in the footage. "I just can't focus."
At the hospital, Walker asked Smith if he could search his clothes. He found a vial in Smith's pocket that he said contained methamphetamine, according to the footage.
Smith previously told Walker he'd used "zero drugs" and "zero alcohol" in the past 48 hours. After Walker found the vial, Smith admitted he'd used it the previous day.
Defense attorneys say truck driver was no longer under influence of drugs during crash
Smith's attorneys have argued while Smith did party with a couple of hitchhikers and used drugs the night before the crash, he was no longer under the influence that day and had fallen asleep at the wheel while trying to take an exit to a rest stop.
They claimed the symptoms Walker observed as signs of being under the influence, including confusion and dizziness, were actual signs of shock resulting from the crash.
"He was just in the middle of a grisly scene," said defense attorney Tiffany Humphrey. "He was in a high-impact crash."
They cited Walker's drug evaluation training, which states the effects of methamphetamine — a stimulant — can last up to 12 hours, suggesting any methamphetamine Smith had used the previous day should have worn off.
While stimulants typically cause people to be more alert, Walker said when used in combination with drugs that have opposite effects, like fentanyl, the outcome can be unpredictable.
Walker added that users of methamphetamine could experience a "downside" after the fact and cited Smith's poor driving before the crash as evidence of impairment not caused by shock.
"At the end of the high there's a low," he said. "The downside of meth is that they are lethargic and sleepy and have a hard time staying awake."
Multiple witnesses for the defense, however, including the paramedic who evaluated Smith at the scene, testified Smith's vitals, pupils and demeanor were not abnormal and he did not appear to be under the influence.
Kenn Meneely, who formerly worked with state police and launched the agency's drug recognition evaluation training program, said Walker did not follow proper protocol to evaluate Smith's pupils. He said based on a review of police reports, body camera footage, and medical records, he did not believe Smith was under the influence.
"Lincoln Smith was not reckless. There's no proof he was impaired. The signs he exhibited did not match impairment," Humphrey said to the jury. "Trooper Walker was the only person that told you he thought Lincoln Smith was impaired."
Contributing: Shannon Sollitt and Bill Poehler, Salem Statesman Journal; Thao Nguyen, USA TODAY