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Paul Troupe, 22, dead; Mawkua Eliam on life support after semi-truck driven by Brian J. Knoll, 54, rear-ends four vehicles in I-17 in Phoenix, Arizona

Modified Date: 
Tue, 09/08/2015 - 12:47pm
Accident Date: 
Wednesday, November 19, 2014

Trucker in I-17 accident pleads guilty to endangerment

A Maricopa county Superior Court spokeswoman said 42-year-old Brian Knoll pleaded guilty Tuesday to three counts of endangerment. A truck driver arrested in a chain collision that killed one person and severely injured another has pleaded guilty to endangerment. Knoll told an investigator that he fell asleep while driving, and authorities said he expressed "indifference" after the accident. The man killed in the accident was 22-year-old Paul Troupe of Phoenix. Court records indicate Knoll had faced those charges as well as charges of manslaughter and aggravated assault.

1 dead, 1 critical after crash, car fire on Interstate 17

The Arizona Department of Public Safety confirmed the death in a tweet about 10:45 a.m. after another DPS spokesman had disputed earlier reports the crash involved a fatality.

Phoenix trucker arrested in deadly I-17 accident

DPS spokesman Tim Case says he doesn't know whether Knoll has an attorney.

Semi driver fell asleep before fatal crash

Brian J. Knoll told investigators that he often gets tired when he is driving in the dark and that he had taken a muscle relaxer the evening before the collision to help him sleep and to relieve back and shoulder pain, according to court records released Thursday.

DPS: Truck Driver in Deadly Five-Car Crash Showed No Remorse, Was on Pain Meds

Court records released this morning show Knoll, 54, of Phoenix, tested positive in a preliminary urine test for an opiate-based narcotic and that his behavior was oddly indifferent after being told at least one crash victim was dead.

Truck driver: I fell asleep before crash on I-17

He told investigators he often takes the muscle relaxer Soma for back pain and sleep-related issues and often feels tired when he drives.  

One man is dead and another critically injured after a semi-truck carrying a load of pavers veered across three lanes of traffic and rear-ended four vehicles, causing one of them to burst into flames on northbound I-17 in Phoenix 6:45 a.m. Wednesday. The driver of the burning car, Paul Troupe, 22, of Phoenix, was pulled out of the vehicle and brought to a hospital, where he later died. Mawkua Eliam, the driver of an overturned pickup truck, is unresponsive and on life support in the hospital. The driver of the tractor trailer, Brian J. Knoll, 54, was given a field sobriety test, after which he was arrested for a DUI investigation and was later booked into jail on one count of second-degree murder, and additional charges are pending. The case is under investigation. 

 

Type: Truck Accident
Topics: 
Pileup, DWI - DUI - Alcohol or Drug Use, Asleep at Wheel/Driver Fatigue
People Involved: 
Paul Troupe
Brian J. Knoll
Sarah Troupe
Mawkua Eliam
Roadway: 
Interstate 17
City: 
Phoenix, AZ
County: 
Maricopa County, AZ
Area: 
Phoenix, AZ

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