«I was listening to Netflix, not watching»: Trucker behind fatal crash pleads not guilty

Trucker from Maine opposes manslaughter charges. As he says, at the time of the accident, his phone was turned down, and he couldn’t watch Netflix in any way.

Truck driver David E. Herring is charged with manslaughter after an elderly couple died in a car accident in Maine in January 2021.

In July 2021, Herring was charged with two counts of ads, however he pleaded not guilty. He was offered to plead guilty and receive 10 years in prison instead of 15. Trucker refused this option, and the case is likely to go to trial.

Herring’s lawyer, Rob Andrews, said the truck driver became distracted while driving, but the reason for this wasn’t watching Netflix, but the car that suddenly began to maneuver in front of the truck.

The lawyer specified that the trucker was driving on the Interstate at about 65 miles per hour when the car in front of him suddenly slowed down and pulled off the highway. Herring watched the car as it swerved off the road, but when he looked ahead, it was too late to brake hard.

The investigation showed that Netflix was actually turned on the phone. However, Herring assures that he used this service instead of the radio and the sound wasn’t distracting while driving.

«He told a state officer that a departing car distracted him,» Andrews said.

During the initial investigation, Herring told the officer that Netflix was plugged into his truck’s speakers and the screen was turned aside to avoid distractions.

K and E Trucking company, whose truck was driven by Herring, declined to answer questions about the driver’s seniority.

Herring had previously been fined for speeding and also for using a mobile phone while driving.

Between 2004 and 2021, Herring was involved in 5 accidents.