Records: FedEx driver looked at phone before crash that killed 3 in Baldwin family
Less than a minute before a FedEx tractor trailer plowed into a 2018 Honda Accord last summer on the Pennsylvania Turnpike, killing a Baldwin man and his two children, the driver allegedly looked down at his phone 25 times, according to newly released court records.
Baldwin residents Donnell Hickson, 43, his son Decir, 18, and his daughter, 11, died at the scene after the 4:25 a.m. crash on July 20, Pennsylvania State Police said at the time. The coroner's office in Lancaster County, Pennsylvania, did not release the girl's name because of her age. Relatives of the three family members could not be reached for comment Wednesday.
Last Thursday, Santos Valentin, 30, of Philadelphia, the FedEx driver, turned himself in to the state police in Pennsylvania. Valentin was arraigned the next day. Lancaster County prosecutors charged him with three felony counts of homicide by vehicle. He was released after posting a $300,000 bond, court records show.
Valentin faces six lesser charges and traffic violations, including careless driving causing an unintentional death, using a phone while driving, and not wearing a seat belt, according to court records. His attorney did not respond to calls Wednesday.
Officials with FedEx did not immediately respond to a request for comment.
The charges come after prosecutors reviewed dashcam footage inside the cab of the FedEx Freightliner that showed Valentin driving and "using his cellphone for an extended period of time well before the crash," court records state.
Police analyzed the 48 seconds before the crash.
"Valentin looks down or glances at his phone a total of 25 times. In that same 48 seconds, Valentin looks up or glances at the road a total of 20 times," court records state. Before the crash, police said, Valentin was seen repeatedly picking up his phone and "periodically tapping and swiping the screen."
Police said the Honda was heading east in the left lane, before changing to the right lane in front of the Freightliner and coming to a complete stop. About 10 seconds later, Valentin, who told police he was driving between 65 and 75 mph at the time, dropped his phone and crashed into the car, court records show.
Both vehicles left the road and the FedEx truck drove on top of the Honda, killing all three family members, police said. Court records did not include the reason the Honda came to a stop on the turnpike.
Valentin was transported to a hospital. An update on his recovery was not available Wednesday.
According to court records, police interviewed Valentin in the back of an ambulance at the scene. Valentin told them "the car came out of nowhere and that he never saw it until it was too late," the records state.
Donnell Hickson was remembered on Long Island as a track star and 1999 graduate at Lawrence High School. He was also an All-American and all-state triple jumper at York College in Jamaica, Queens, and competed at the 2005 NCAA Championships.
An online fundraising effort last year collected nearly $25,000 for the mother of Hickson's two children, according to the website Wednesday.
Less than a minute before a FedEx tractor trailer plowed into a 2018 Honda Accord last summer on the Pennsylvania Turnpike, killing a Baldwin man and his two children, the driver allegedly looked down at his phone 25 times, according to newly released court records.
Baldwin residents Donnell Hickson, 43, his son Decir, 18, and his daughter, 11, died at the scene after the 4:25 a.m. crash on July 20, Pennsylvania State Police said at the time. The coroner's office in Lancaster County, Pennsylvania, did not release the girl's name because of her age. Relatives of the three family members could not be reached for comment Wednesday.
Last Thursday, Santos Valentin, 30, of Philadelphia, the FedEx driver, turned himself in to the state police in Pennsylvania. Valentin was arraigned the next day. Lancaster County prosecutors charged him with three felony counts of homicide by vehicle. He was released after posting a $300,000 bond, court records show.
Valentin faces six lesser charges and traffic violations, including careless driving causing an unintentional death, using a phone while driving, and not wearing a seat belt, according to court records. His attorney did not respond to calls Wednesday.
Officials with FedEx did not immediately respond to a request for comment.
The charges come after prosecutors reviewed dashcam footage inside the cab of the FedEx Freightliner that showed Valentin driving and "using his cellphone for an extended period of time well before the crash," court records state.
Police analyzed the 48 seconds before the crash.
"Valentin looks down or glances at his phone a total of 25 times. In that same 48 seconds, Valentin looks up or glances at the road a total of 20 times," court records state. Before the crash, police said, Valentin was seen repeatedly picking up his phone and "periodically tapping and swiping the screen."
Police said the Honda was heading east in the left lane, before changing to the right lane in front of the Freightliner and coming to a complete stop. About 10 seconds later, Valentin, who told police he was driving between 65 and 75 mph at the time, dropped his phone and crashed into the car, court records show.
Both vehicles left the road and the FedEx truck drove on top of the Honda, killing all three family members, police said. Court records did not include the reason the Honda came to a stop on the turnpike.
Valentin was transported to a hospital. An update on his recovery was not available Wednesday.
According to court records, police interviewed Valentin in the back of an ambulance at the scene. Valentin told them "the car came out of nowhere and that he never saw it until it was too late," the records state.
Donnell Hickson was remembered on Long Island as a track star and 1999 graduate at Lawrence High School. He was also an All-American and all-state triple jumper at York College in Jamaica, Queens, and competed at the 2005 NCAA Championships.
An online fundraising effort last year collected nearly $25,000 for the mother of Hickson's two children, according to the website Wednesday.
John Asbury is a breaking news and general assignment reporter. He has been with Newsday since 2014 and previously worked at The Press-Enterprise in Riverside, California.
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