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A truck driver accused of killing seven people went on trial on Tuesday for a 2023 wreck.<\/p>\n
The accident happened on May 18th, 2023<\/a> on Interstate 5 near Albany, Oregon.\u00a0<\/p>\n The 54-year-old truck driver accused of killing seven, Lincoln Smith, was driving on I-5 when he crashed into a van at full speed, pushing it into another semi truck. Seven of the 11 people inside of the van were killed in the crash. After the accident, Smith admitted to using drugs the day before the crash.\u00a0<\/p>\n On Tuesday, January 28, 2025 Smith appeared in a Marion County, Oregon courthouse on seven counts of manslaughter <\/a>and three counts of assault.\u00a0<\/p>\n \u201cMr. Smith chose to use methamphetamine the day before driving through the state of Oregon on I-5,\u201d a prosecutor said in court on Tuesday, reported KGW8<\/a>.<\/p>\n Smith\u2019s attorneys argue that he was no longer under the influence at the time of the crash. They claim that he was fatigued and fell asleep while looking for a place to pull off of I-5 when the accident occurred.\u00a0<\/p>\n \u201cWe intend to show that the state will not be able to meet their burden. That they will not be able to prove the mental state,\u201d defense attorney Tiffany Humphrey said.\u00a0<\/p>\n Smith\u2019s defense argues that if he must be found guilty, it should be for a lesser charge of criminally negligent homicide.\u00a0<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n