On April 30, 2020, a moment of distraction behind the wheel turned deadly on Interstate 75 in Macon, Georgia. Truck driver Arthur Waldrip, piloting a commercial rig, looked down to adjust his radio. But this wasn’t a quick glance.

Driver-facing cameras later revealed he took his eyes off the road for over 20 seconds. During that time, the truck barreled forward unchecked, covering more than 100 yards – roughly the length of a football field – before slamming into the rear of a car. That motorist was 70-year-old Clifford Scott.

The impact was catastrophic. Eyewitnesses and video footage described debris exploding from Scott’s vehicle as it crumpled under the weight of Waldrip’s multi-ton truck, CDLLife shared. Scott, a well-known pastor in the community, died at the scene.

The distracted truck driver crash set off a legal process that took nearly five years to reach its conclusion

On Monday, April 7th, Waldrip pleaded guilty to first-degree vehicular homicide. Macon Judicial Circuit District Attorney Anita Howard emphasized the gravity of the case, saying, “In those 20 seconds of distracted driving, a life was lost.”

Her office pushed for a 15-year sentence, with 10 years behind bars. Waldrip’s defense countered with a plea for just three years of incarceration.

Ultimately, the judge handed the truck driver a 15-year sentence, with six years in prison and the remaining nine on probation.