Truck driver charged in fatal bus crash that killed 4 NCTC softball players

Drug use was the primary cause of crash
Semi truck driver, Russell Staley, charged with four counts of first-degree manslaughter in a bus crash that killed four NCTC (North Central Texas College) athletes was likely high on synthetic drugs.

North Central Texas College Softball Players
Meagan Richardson, 19 Wylie, Texas	Katelynn Woodlee, 18 Windom, Texas	Jaiden Pelton, 20 Telephone, Texas	Brooke Deckard, 20 Scurry, Texas

Russell Staley, a Saginaw resident, told investigators after the September 26, 2014 crash that he was distracted by something in the truck’s main cabin before he veered across the Interstate 35 median and slammed into the team’s bus.

The NTSB(National Transportation Safety Board) concluded Staley’s drug use was the primary cause of the crash after looking at toxicology reports, his history of drug use and his behavior at the time of the collision, the NTSB said in a final report released today.

“The truck-tractor continued through the median, traveling over 1,100 feet without evidence of braking or steering,” the NTSB’s report states.

The board’s recommendations include: research on the substances drivers can consume and how much they can consume to avoid impairment; mandatory seat belt laws to including all passengers in all vehicles; more barriers on state medians to prevent crossover crashes.

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