Oregon truck accident attorney, Aaron DeShaw, deconstructs the details in this tragic truck accident case.
In 2023, California-based semi-truck driver Lincoln Clayton Smith killed seven farm workers on I-5 north of Albany, Oregon, in one of the deadliest accidents in Oregon history. On February 5, 2025, a Marion County jury unanimously found the driver guilty of second degree manslaughter (seven counts), third-degree assault (three counts) and reckless driving. A Marion County Judge sentenced the 54 year old to almost 50 years in prison.
Evidence shows that Smith careened off the road hitting a van parked on the shoulder and smashing it into another semi-truck. The seven victims, farm workers returning from work, died at the scene. Post-accident drug testing showed that Smith was under the influence of cocaine, fentanyl and meth; the driver denied having used drugs on the day of the accident.
Following this week’s sentencing stemming from this fatal crash on I-5, today, the truck accident attorneys at DeShaw Law Firm offer a blog reviewing this tragedy.
According to Salem Oregon newspaper, the Statesman Journal, the seven-day trial included five days of evidence, during which prosecutors called nearly 30 witnesses. The jury deliberated for about nine hours before reaching a unanimous verdict.
In Oregon, a second-degree manslaughter charge carries a mandatory minimum prison sentence of six years and three months. Marion County Judge Daniel Wren imposed this minimum sentence for all seven of the accident victims in a sentence spanning 579 months, or just over 48 years.
Understanding the 2023 Fatal I-5 Crash
On May 18, 2023, Lincoln Clayton Smith, then 52 years old, was driving a 55,000-pound, 53-foot semitruck north on I-5 from Woodland, California; he was transporting truck canopies and camper shells. The accident occurred around 2 PM, after Smith became tired, veered off the road, and crashed into a parked van near the Santiam River rest stop, propelling it 218 feet into another parked semitruck. The van was carrying eleven farmworkers heading home from work.
Injuries and Fatalities caused by the Oregon Truck Crash
Six people died at the scene; a seventh person died in a lifeflight helicopter en route to the hospital. The Oregon Department of Transportation reported that this crash is among the deadliest in Oregon history. Three suffered serious, nonfatal injuries. As of the 2025 trial, they all reported chronic pain, as well as pain and suffering, as a result of the fatal crash on I-5.
People killed in the the 2023 Santiam River Rest Stop accident:
- Juan Carlos Leyva-Carrillo
- Eduardo Lopez-Lopez
- Gabriel Juarez-Tovilla
- Jose Garcia-Garcia
- Alejandra Espinoza-Carpio
- Luis Enrique Gomez-Reyes
- Alejandro Jimenez Hernandez
People seriously injured in the 2023 Santiam River Rest Stop accident:
- Jose Eduardo Solis-Flores
- Maria Flores-Martinez
- Ibis Torres Rangel
The losses sustained will permanently impact the families of these victims of this trucking crash.
I-5 Semi Truck Crash Among the Deadliest in Oregon History
This case is exceptional in how many lives were lost in a single accident, but in the length of the prison sentence. Survivors of the deceased—most of whom are recent immigrants themselves—came to the United States in pursuit of a better life. Testimony showed the seven victims were hard workers who followed the law. Bereaved loved ones offered story after story of their lost loved ones—and of their own lives after the accident.
Not all victims of the crash succumbed to their injuries;accident survivors have their own difficult roads ahead. Maria Flores-Martinez, a survivor of the crash, now experiences numbness on her head and back, and limited mobility in her neck. She now lives on disability.
Losses also include insurmountable pain and suffering among the accident survivors. The van driver, Adan Garcia-Garcia, lost his brother and nephew in the crash. "It's very difficult to live like this, knowing that you’re never gonna see your brother again, knowing that those of us that were left behind are suffering," he said at trial.
Why did Lincoln Clayton Smith Drive off the Road?
Drug use played a role in the fatal crash (I-5). Today it remains one of the deadliest semi-truck crashes in Oregon history.
The night before the fatal semi truck crash, Smith used both meth and cocaine in the company of two hitchhikers; though Smith denies using it, fentanyl was also found in his toxicology report. According to his testimony, he no longer felt the effects of these drugs the following morning, when he arose at 6:30 AM. By noon, Smith decided to stop for the day. Two I-5 rest stops were full, so he proceeded on up I-5 north toward the Santiam River rest stop.
Witnesses near Smith’s semi truck testified that they saw him swerving all over the road before the crash. One woman witnessed a Jeep veer off the road to avoid a collision with the swerving semi-truck. Smith merged into the exit lane for the Santiam River rest stop but fell asleep, before he was able to take the exit, colliding with the van containing eleven people.
What followed, according to witnesses, was a “gruesome and violent scene.” seasoned emergency responders even said it was the most horrific incident they'd ever witnessed. The extent of the carnage made it difficult to even tell how many people were in the van.
The defendant appeared emotional throughout the trial; his lawyers asked for a lighter sentence of just 12.5 years.
Drug Use in Deadly Oregon Truck Crash
According to prosecutors, Smith was coming down from meth, which is known to cause extreme lethargy. They successfully argued that Smith acted recklessly by using drugs—and failing to stop before nodding off. Smith, who had been driving trucks for almost 19 years, had meth, cocaine and fentanyl in his bloodstream.
David Wilson, a Deputy District Attorney for Marion County, reported that Smith had at least 17 arrests in California, as well as nine previous convictions. The Oregon State Police officer who evaluated Smith after the crash testified that he believed Smith was under the influence of drugs at the time of the crash.
Court documents revealed that Smith, whose pupils were noticeably dilated, struggled to answer basic questions after the accident, and could not recall his own phone number. "I'm getting really dizzy, I can't remember (expletive)," he says. "I just can't focus." At the hospital, police officers found a vial in the driver’s pocket containing meth. These were strong factors in determining liability; the Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration (FMCSA) explicitly forbids driver drug use.
Final Sentencing in Oregon Truck Crash
On March 4, 2025, Lincoln Clayton Smith was convicted of seven counts of Manslaughter in the Second Degree, as well as three counts of Assault in the Third Degree. Smith was found not guilty of Driving Under the Influence of Intoxicants. He also received a concurrent sentence of 364 days for Reckless Driving. His total prison term of 579 months, or 48.25 years, will be served consecutively.
The trucking company was not a party at trial.
Do I need a truck accident attorney?
In cases involving wrongful death, personal injury, lost wages or even simple property damages an Oregon truck accident attorney can help. Experienced truck accident attorneys can help recover compensation for your medical bills, lost wages, pain and suffering and more. Working with a legal team with a focus in truck accidents can make a huge difference in the outcome of your case. From evaluating the evidence from the accident and negotiating with the insurance company to representing you at trial our truck accident attorneys are here to help.
Truck crashes are not like auto accident cases. The laws of trucking are completely different than the laws that govern car drivers. The crash forces, the physics of the vehicles, the injuries, the companies and the insurance companies are all very different. Injuries from a truck crash deserve a truck crash lawyer. Few lawyers in Oregon or Washington have education, training and experience in truck crash injury claims. Our truck crash attorneys belong to a specialty truck crash lawyer association, the Academy of Truck Accident Attorneys ("ATAA"), and are regularly in contact with other lawyers nationally who handle truck crash claims. We are also nationally known for our handling of the types of injury claims often seen in trucking cases; traumatic brain injuries, amputations and wrongful death cases.
Unique Experience with Truck Crashes Caused by Drunk Driving or the Use of Drugs
There are other unique aspects to our law firm that are important for truck crash cases. Oregon truck crash lawyer, Aaron DeShaw, is a former Doctor of Chiropractic who performed CDL examinations including post-crash blood and alcohol testing. He also has the highest personal injury compensatory damage jury veridict in Oregon history ($77,500,000) for a drunk driving case that resulted in the amputation of our client's leg.
In a number of our trucking cases over the past 25 years, Dr. DeShaw has been able to detect undisclosed drug use, or an attempt at fraudulently hiding the use of drugs or alcohol by the company after a crash. This can show up in issues like urine samples that are too cool to have been from the driver, or split samples where the only urine sample run was diluted. We have even been hired by trucking lawyers nationally to look at issues like the use of alcohol, illegal or prescription drugs that should have disqualified a driver like this from driving a truck. Certain presciption drugs disqualifying CDL trucking drivers from driving a truck is one important difference between an auto accident case and a truck crash case that a truck crash lawyer will understand.
Contact our Oregon truck crash lawyers online, or call our Oregon truck accident law firm today for a free consultation to discuss your truck accident claim: (503) 227-1233.