Oregon jury finds truck driver guilty of manslaughter in interstate crash that killed 7 farmworkers

SALEM, Ore. (AP) — An Oregon jury on Wednesday found a truck driver guilty of manslaughter in a collision on Interstate 5 that killed seven farmworkers in 2023 in one of the state’s deadliest highway crashes.

Lincoln Smith was convicted of seven counts of second-degree manslaughter as well as reckless driving, The Oregonian/OregonLive reported.

But the Marion County jurors acquitted the 54-year-old Californian of driving under the influence of intoxicants. Smith testified that the effects of drugs taken the night before the crash had worn off, and that he had nodded off at the wheel, the news outlet reported.

Traces of methamphetamine, fentanyl and morphine were found in Smith’s blood later at a hospital, and state troopers found a “bullet of speed” in the pocket of his pants, The Oregonian/OregonLive reported.

The defense attorney listed for Smith in court records did not immediately return a text message and voicemail seeking comment on behalf of her client.

The victims were identified as Juan Carlos Leyva-Carrillo, 37; Gabriel Juarez-Tovilla, 58; Alejandra Espinoza-Carpio, 39; Eduardo Lopez-Lopez, 31; Luis Enrique Gomez-Reyes, 30; Alejandro Jimenez-Hernandez, 36; and Josue Garcia-Garcia, 30.

The crash occurred in May 2023, when Smith’s semitruck ran into a van carrying farmworkers that was parked on the side of Interstate 5 near Albany, an agricultural area of the Willamette Valley.

Albany lies between the state capital Salem and Eugene, and is about 70 miles (113 kilometers) south of Portland. I-5 is the main north-south interstate highway on the West Coast.