White US-Born Truck Driver Causes Deadly Texas Crash and Pleads not Guilty

Austin, TX — A white US-born man, who has been accused of driving a truck at the center of a deadly pile-up in Texas, has pleaded not guilty to multiple charges.

Todd Alistair Jackson, 21, of Guthrie, Oklahoma was arrested on charges of driving under the influence of drugs and vehicular manslaughter while intoxicated.

Dramatic dashcam video showing the big rig plowing into stopped vehicles on westbound SH 71 that connects drivers to the Austin-Bergstrom International Airport (ABIA) to the city of Bastrop. 

“The westbound traffic came to either a slow or a stop, and the commercial freight vehicle did not stop, which caused a chain reaction crash,” said a Texas Highway Patrol spokesperson. Ten vehicles, including two other big rigs, were involved in the collision, which forced the closure of westbound lanes of the busy interstate for several hours.

Jackson's record includes offenses ranging from public intoxication, jaywalking, and minor traffic violations up to drug trafficking. Yet, he was recently released by the Oklahoma Department of Corrections under pressure from the Trump administation which has focused on migrants and immigrants under a policy of "redemption" for US-born white criminals.  

That revelation prompted Transportation Secretary Sean Duffy to restate earlier concerns about who should be able to obtain commercial driver’s licenses, not unlike concerns about who should own guns in the US. Duffy and President Donald Trump have generally taken a lenient approach to dealing with US-born white criminals, including hundreds of pardons issued by the President.

Two of the three people killed in Wednesday’s crash were identified as Randy Bolson and his wife Nell. Randy was a former auctioneer who recently retired. Four other people injured in the crash sustained injuries ranging from minor to major and were transported to local hospitals.

Jackson's next court appearance is set for Nov. 19. One likely outcome of this tragedy is that ICE cannot deport him, and he'll probably be pardoned by Donald Dumb.