54-year-old Lincoln Smith, a California-based semi-truck driver, admitted to hanging out with hitchhikers the night before a life-altering car accident that will affect dozens of people for the rest of their lives.

On March 18, 2023, Smith drove his 55,000-pound rig north on I-5 in Oregon. He showed signs of fatigue hours earlier but didn’t stop to rest. Around 2 p.m., he crossed his lane’s edge line, crashing into a large van carrying 11 people. The van was parked near a rest stop, and the collision sent it into another semi-truck parked in front of it.

The accident killed six of the van passengers on site. A seventh person died in a medical helicopter. Three others were severely hurt and continue to deal with their injuries. One survivor left permanently disabled testified that she can no longer move her neck and that parts of her head and back are numb.

The families of the deceased attended the trial, speaking to the jury about the horrifying news of the crash and their struggles to adapt to their lost loved ones.

The husband of one of the victims explained how difficult it was to stay positive while caring for their one-year-old son, who of course asked where his mommy was soon after the wreck.

The semi-truck driver admitted to taking cocaine and methamphetamine with some hitchhikers the day before the accident.

Blood tests taken after the crash confirmed the two substances, plus fentanyl, Statesman Journal said.

Smith claimed that when he woke up at 6:30 am on March 18, he felt like the drugs had worn off. He hit the road, continuing on his planned route from Woodland, California.

By noon, he felt tired. Thinking it best to pull over, he testified that he attempted to stop at two rest areas. Since they were full, he continued on. By the time he reached the Santiam River rest area, other drivers noticed his erratic swerving.

One motorist called 911 citing a Jeep that left the road to avoid the semi-truck.

Smith recalled that when he entered the lane to get off at the Santiam River rest area, he nodded off. The truck driver crashed into the parked van on the exit ramp.

Emergency responders testified that the scene was one of the worst they’d ever witnessed.

One claimed that medical staff had trouble quickly clocking how many people were injured and needing care due to the gruesomeness of the scene.

A prosecuting attorney said that in California, Smith has more than a dozen arrests and nine previous convictions on record. The trial revealed that Smith had used drugs since age 12. A police officer who evaluated Smith at the accident scene told the jury that the truck driver couldn’t recall his own phone number and was slow to answer questions. Smith denied using any substances at the scene, but once he was at the hospital, police discovered a vial of meth in Smith’s pocket. Smith then admitted to using meth the day before.

The jury convicted the semi-truck driver of seven counts of second-degree manslaughter, three counts of third-degree assault, and one count of reckless driving. A judge sentenced Smith to 48.5 years in prison.