Trucker accused in 2014 crash that killed 4 to stand trial

Ponca City Now - June 19, 2016 2:16 pm

SULPHUR, Okla. (AP) – The Texas truck driver accused of causing a 2014 crash that killed four members of a women’s college softball team has been ordered to stand trial.

Russell Wayne Staley is charged with four counts of first-degree manslaughter.

The Oklahoman newspaper reports that a Murray County judge ruled Thursday that prosecutors had enough evidence for a trial on all four counts.

Federal transportation officials said last year they believe Staley was likely high on synthetic drugs during the crash – although a blood test didn’t confirm he had drugs in his system.

The National Transportation Safety Board voted 4-0 that the likely cause of the head-on collision on a highway near Davis, Oklahoma, was the semitrailer driver’s incapacitation, "likely stemming from his use of synthetic cannabinoids."

 

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