Emergency personnel work at the scene of a nmultiple fatality wreck at Exit 11 in Ooltewah.
Ben Brewer is shown in this booking photo from Janesville, Wis.The National Transportation Safety Board has released its preliminary report into the deadly crash on I-75 in June 25, in which a 2007 Peterbilt tractor-trailer plowed into several cars, killing six and injuring four.
The report was unearthed on the same day that driver Ben Brewer was charged with several felonies, including vehicular homicide and driving under the influence of narcotics.
Brewer’s job was to transport a 2005 Great Dane refrigerated trailer from Kentucky to Florida, then return back to Kentucky. But the trip went poorly from the start.
Initial results of the agency’s investigation show that the driver of the tractor trailer experienced two mechanical breakdowns and was involved in a separate crash during his trip, which began on June 22, and that he was on duty for about 50 consecutive hours during the first leg of his trip.
The initial mechanical breakdown involved the truck’s brakes, and the second involved problems with the truck’s fuel delivery system.