WASHINGTON D.C. – The Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration (FMCSA) declared trucker J. Barson as an “Imminent Hazard” after he killed 5 cyclists on U.S. 95.
The latest development on the Dec. 10, 2020 crash in which a box truck driver killed five cyclists and injured two more has the driver of the truck, Jordan Alexander Barson, declared to be an imminent hazard to public safety. This announcement by the FMCSA also includes an order for him not to operate any commercial motor vehicle in interstate commerce.
Barson received this order from the FMCSA on Dec. 23, 2020.
The accident happened when Barson, a CDL holder employed by RoadRunner Transport AZ Inc. of Lake Havasu City, Arizona, was operating a commercial truck in Clark County, Nevada. On that fateful day, Barson struck a cyclist group that was on a 130-mile Nipton Loop, an annual tradition done for 15 years.
At the moment of the accident, Barson struck a group of seven cyclists that was driving behind an escort vehicle, pinning them against the vehicle.
From the impact, five died at the scene, the cause of death being blunt force trauma. Furthermore, three more were injured, of which two were hospitalized, one in critical condition.
Following the accident, Barson was tested for controlled substances and was found to have an “extremely high level” of methamphetamine in his blood.
Official court records state Barson was charged with five counts of DUI resulting in death. He also got five felony counts of reckless driving resulting in death, one felony count of DUI resulting in substantial bodily harm, and one felony count of DUI resulting in substantial bodily harm.
Barson’s “blatant violations of the [federal safety regulations] and ongoing and repeated disregard for the safety of the motoring public … substantially increases the likelihood of serious injury or death to you and motoring public” is within the order issued by the FMCSA.
The employer RoadRunner Transport AZ Inc. was pointed out not to maintain records-of-duty status as required by Hours-of-Service federal regulations. Barson did not maintain such records either. This will probably lead to civil penalty enforcement proceedings by the FMCSA for violation of federal safety regulations.
