A truck driver who was high on meth when he plowed into a group of cyclists on a highway outside of Las Vegas was sentenced Wednesday to 16 years in prison, the maximum sentence allowed.
ON DECEMBER 10, a deliveryman named Jordan Barson from Kingman, Arizona, drove his truck into a group of bicyclists, killing five of them and injuring two others plus the driver of a safety vehicle accompanying them on I-95 outside Searchlight. The victims were among a group of 20 riders doing their yearly trek from the M Hotel in Las Vegas to Nipton, California, and back about 130 miles total. Barson was later shown to have a high level of methamphetamine in his system at the time of the collision. Authorities have charged him with DUI, and he awaits trial in a Mojave County jail.
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By Inside Edition Staff
Updated: 3:03 PM PST, December 22, 2020
The driver, Jordan Barson, is facing multiple charges, including five counts of DUI resulting in death.
Body cam footage has been released in the fatal truck crash that killed five cyclists on a highway in Nevada. In the video, the truck driver tearfully told police he fell asleep.
“I guess I fell asleep. Because I don’t remember anything. I remember hitting those people,” Jordan Barson said in the video.
“You don’t remember anything. You just woke up to, what exactly?” an officer said.
“Yeah, to seeing bikers,” Barson responded.
Barson was then given a field sobriety test. He stumbled while holding on to his truck for support.
I just remember hitting those people : Truck driver weeps after falling asleep at wheel and killing five cyclists on Nevada highway - before failing DUI test and admitting he took meth the night before
Jordan Barson, 45, faces 12 felony charges, including driving under the influence and reckless driving in connection to deadly December 10 crash
Officials say Barson had nine times an allowable amount of methamphetamine in his system when he plowed into group of cyclists
Killed were Erin Ray, 39; Gerrard Nieva, 41; Michael Murray, 57; Aksoy Ahmet, 48, and Thomas Trauger, 57
Body camera video shows Barson weeping as he tells Nevada Highway Patrol troopers he must have fallen asleep behind the wheel