Lawsuit Claims that Truck Driver Was Distracted by Dating App Leading to Fatal Crash

A semi-truck driver who crashed into a woman’s SUV, killing her, was taking screenshots and looking at a dating app at the time of the accident, according to court filings. The decedent died from injuries she suffered in the May 22, 2024 crash that happened in Bell County, central Texas. The decedent was in her vehicle which was stopped on I-35 when the 18-wheeler slammed into her from behind. The family’s attorney claims that the operator of the truck was distracted.

“There was significant phone use by Mr. Giebelstein up to the crash, including the moments during the crash,” their attorney stated.

Dashcam video from the truck appears to show the driver looking away from the road before the crash occurred. Analysis of his phone records indicates that at 4:44 a.m., the driver took a screenshot of himself and a friend on their motorcycles. The crash occurred just a minute later at 4:45 a.m. In addition, a download of the phone found evidence that the driver was on a call, using his Apple Watch, and reviewing screenshots from his Facebook dating app. The plaintiffs contend that he wasn’t looking at the road at the time of the crash which led to the decedent’s death.

The lawsuit names both the driver of the truck and his employer, J.B. Hunt Transport Services, Inc., one of the largest trucking companies in the U.S. An attorney for J.B. Hunt denied all of the allegations against their driver and insinuated that the victim was the one who was negligent for this accident. Of course, that doesn’t track with the accident itself which seems to indicate that the driver rammed into the back of the woman’s SUV. Rear-end accidents are almost always the fault of the driver who does the rear-ending.

Records provided to the family attorney by the defendants indicate that the driver had been rebuked several times prior to the crash for distracted driving. Six weeks earlier, the truck’s detection system flagged him for eating while driving. During his meal, he was using his elbow or knee to steer the truck, one report indicated. Additionally, three weeks before the crash, the truck driver was documented for taking his attention off the road for 5 seconds. The attorney representing the family charges that the company had multiple opportunities to take action and prevent the crash. Nonetheless, they failed to act on credible information that the driver was unsafe on the road. Ultimately, this failure led to the death of another commuter.

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