Trucking violation questions emerge after 18-wheeler crash that killed 5 on I-20
18-wheeler crash on I-20 prompts regulation questions
One attorney says a trucking company is responsible for the deadly crash, and he says they should no longer be trusted to haul products on U.S. freeways.
KAUFMAN COUNTY, Texas - There are new questions Thursday night about a trucking company whose driver says he fell asleep at the wheel. The crash in question involved seven vehicles, killed five people and injured five more on I-20 near Terrell at the end of June.
One attorney says a trucking company is responsible for the deadly crash, and he says they should no longer be trusted to haul products on U.S. freeways.
Fatal 18-wheeler crash near Terrell
The backstory:
On June 28 at 2:40 p.m., five people lost their lives in a crash with a semi-trailer and six other cars.
In one car, four members of the McKeller family died; a grandfather, mother, father, and son. The child's 20-year-old sister suffered severe injuries.
In another car, a 49-year-old woman died.
It happened four miles west of Terrell in Kaufman County.
Trucking violation concerns
Alexis Osmani Gonzalez-Companioni
The latest:
The driver believed to have caused the crash, 27-year-old Alexis Osmani Gonzalez-Companioni, of Kissimmee, Florida, survived. He told police he fell asleep at the wheel, and investigators say there were no signs he ever touched the brakes.
Attorney John Nohinek represents the father of the woman who was killed. He says the fact that Gonzalez-Companioni says he fell asleep is a red flag in the case.
Kaufman County crash
What they're saying:
"My client's granddaugher who suffered such severe injuries, she has a lifetime of care that someone needs to be responsible for," Nohinek said.
Gonzalez-Companioni is charged with five counts of manslaughter along with aggravated assault with a deadly weapon.
Both Texas DPS and federal safety officials have open investigations.
Nohinek learned the trucking company, Hope Trans, was hauling mail for the U.S. Postal Service.
"The U.S. Post Office has certain standards. Hope Trans didn't meet those standards," Nohinek said.
Kaufman County crash
Steve Bryan is the CEO of Blue Wire, a technology data analytics company specializing in the trucking industry.
Blue Wire scores trucks’ crash activity, violations and drivers out of service. They also look at compliance filings to see if they're accurate and timely, Bryan told FOX 4.
"In this case, this company was starting to demonstrate a rapid increase in the number of those serious events," said Bryan.
Bryan says the U.S. needs to enforce trucking violations like it regulates air travel.
"If any of this nonsense was happening in air travel, we would all revolt, we would not stand for it, but somehow trucking gets away with it," Bryan said.
Friday, USPS told us in a statement:
"Postal Service contractors are required to comply with all applicable state and federal laws. The postal service is aware of this accident, which is the subject of an ongoing investigation. We cannot comment further at this time."
What's next:
Nohinek has not yet filed a lawsuit in the case.
The driver is still in the Kaufman County Jail.
The case has not yet been presented to a grand jury.
The Source: Information in this story came from John Nohinek, the USPS and previous FOX 4 coverage.