California trucker claims he was asleep, not high, when deadly Oregon crash killed 7 farmworkers; trial begins

As the Marion County Circuit Court trial got underway Tuesday, the defense team for Lincoln Smith, the long-haul truck driver charged with seven counts of manslaughter in a fatal Interstate 5 collision, unveiled their case.

Authorities have long maintained that Smith, 54, was under the influence of alcohol when his Freightliner semitruck veered into the I-5 shoulder just north of Albany, killing seven farmworkers when it crashed into the rear of a van carrying eleven of them.

However, according to defense lawyer Tiffany Humphrey, Smith had slept off while driving and was no longer experiencing the affects of a drug combination he had consumed the previous evening with two unidentified hitchhikers.

She claimed that Lincoln Smith fell asleep and missed the lane where he was supposed to exit for a rest stop. And he hit the side of the van as he woke up.

However, prosecutors claim that Smith lied about using narcotics on multiple occasions at the scene but later confessed from a hospital bed after a state trooper with a body camera was given permission to examine Smith’s pockets.

Deputy District Attorney Jessica Spooner said that Smith’s blood tests revealed signs of cocaine, fentanyl, and morphine in addition to the black vial the trooper discovered contained speedslang for methamphetamine.

She claimed that he was operating a motor vehicle on a public highway while intoxicated.

A courtroom full of relatives of the seven farmworkers, including those who sobbed aloud as pictures of the horrifying roadside crash site were shown, is presided over by Circuit Judge Daniel Wren.

Juan Carlos Leyva-Carillo, 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 were died in the collision at approximately 2:00 p.m. on May 18, 2023.

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Ibis Torres-Rangel, Maria Flores-Martinez, and Jose Eduardo Solis-Flores were the other three employees hurt. They were on their way home after spending the day harvesting beets in the Salem region.

[READ MORE: Farmworkers slain in an I-5 tragedy in Oregon wanted their own homes, farms, and horses]

Since his hospital arrest, Smith, a northern California resident with three children, has been held in the Salem jail. Smith has been a semi driver for eighteen years, defense lawyer Humphrey said the jury, which consisted of five males and nine women, including two alternates.

According to Humphrey, Smith and his German shepherd, Bear, left California as usual at around two in the morning on May 17 and headed north, resting for the night at around 5:30 p.m. after picking up two strangers in Oregon.

According to the defense lawyer, who described his tolerance for intoxicants, they partied and used drugs before getting out of the truck. Mr. Smith has been using narcotics intermittently for many years and does so on his own time.

According to the defense lawyer, Smith stopped in Sutherlin the following day but became exhausted earlier than normal. He attempted to park at a number of rest stations but was unable to do so since they were all full. According to the defense, the truck driver fell asleep and struck the farmworkers’ van and another semi.

In the event that the jury finds Smith not guilty, Humphrey advised them to choose criminally negligent homicide over second-degree manslaughter, which is a lower charge. Probation is the typical penalty for criminally negligent homicide committed by a first-time offender.

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Both cars were lawfully parked on the freeway’s edge close to the rest stop offramp, according to the prosecution.

Adon Garcia-Garcia, the driver of the van, parked to check on a trailer that was transporting the workers’ gear and portable toilet, according to Spooner, the deputy district attorney.

As he jumped for cover, Garcia-Garcia noticed the white vehicle, towing a 50-foot trailer with the Target insignia, moving at full speed, Spooner said. His brother and nephew were killed, but he lived.

Julie McCrae, a home health nurse and the state’s first witness, said Tuesday morning that she watched Smith’s semi frequently veer out of the right-hand lane over the course of a few minutes. She became so alarmed that she called 911 only seconds before the collision at mile marker 241 happened.

Her gasp was captured on tape as she waited for a state police dispatcher to arrive.

She stated, “The first thing I saw was blood, smeared on the back of the truck.” Then a foot was cut off.

As McCrae talked, one jury wiped her face with a tissue. A monitor showed the crumpled van, and Smith steepled his fists and pressed his forehead against them.

According to the prosecution, it was an obvious case of a seasoned truck driver intentionally operating a vehicle while inebriated. The minimum penalty for second-degree manslaughter is six years and three months in state prison.

He was on the side of the road, traveling at highway speed. According to the prosecutor, witnesses did not observe brake lights. You don’t have to abandon your common sense on the steps of the courthouse.

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The trial will continue until Wednesday of next week.

Prosecutor Jessica Spooner talks during Lincoln Smith’s trial in Marion County Circuit Court on Tuesday, January 28, 2025. Smith is charged with the murders of seven farmworkers in a collision on Interstate 5 in May 2023.Statesman Journal/Kevin Neri

For The Oregonian/OregonLive, Zane Sparling reports on court proceedings and breaking news. You may contact him at [email protected], 503-319-7083, or pdxzane.

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