TikTok-ing Arizona trucker who killed 5 in fiery crash gets 22.5 years

In the early morning hours of Jan. 12, 2023, before the sun had even risen, a Surprise man was driving a semitruck in the south Tempe-Chandler area while watching TikToks on his cell phone. Distracted, he failed to notice that traffic had stopped in front of him. Unable to stop, he plowed his truck into several cars, causing a fiery accident that killed five.

A year and a half later, Danny Glen Tiner is facing the consequences.

On Monday, the Maricopa County Attorney’s Office announced the results of a plea deal with 38-year-old Tiner. In exchange for pleading guilty to five counts of negligent homicide, a class 4 felony, Tiner was sentenced to 22.5 years in prison.

“As a driver, you have an obligation to pay attention to the road,” County Attorney Rachel Mitchell said in a statement. “To choose to access social media while driving, placing the lives of others on the line, is reckless. Five families are living through the pain of losing a loved one.”

According to Mitchell’s office, Tiner had been driving 68 mph in a posted 55 mph construction zone moments before the accident. He failed to yield to stopped traffic near Wild Horse Pass Boulevard, which resulted in a six-vehicle collision.


Tiner rear-ended two passenger vehicles, propelling them into the back of a second semitruck, according to an Arizona Department of Public Safety news release at the time of the incident. That semitruck was then thrust forward, striking two additional cars. Some of the vehicles, including both semitrucks, caught on fire.

Five people died at the scene of the crash, while Tiner and four others suffered injuries. Department of Public Safety investigators later found that Tiner had accessed at least four TikTok videos on his phone in the seconds leading up to the crash.

In June 2023, a grand jury indicted Tiner on 10 charges related to homicide, manslaughter, endangerment and tampering with evidence. Six days later, state troopers arrested Tiner at his home.

In June of this year, Tiner agreed to a plea agreement to avoid a trial. He pleaded guilty to the five negligent homicide charges, while the other charges were dropped. Each negligent homicide charge carried a 4.5-year sentence, all of which will be served consecutively. Tiner was credited with 415 days already served while the case played out.

According to a DPS release, Tiner’s case is the first the department has handled in which a driver has been convicted of causing a fatal collision while distracted by social media.