Wisconsin Grand Jury Indicts Truck Driver For Falsifying Drivers' Logs
On October 22, 2008, a Madison federal grand jury indicted the semi-truck driver involved in the 2005 tractor trailer truck accident that killed five Wisconsin residents and injured dozens others. The accident involved a bus carrying members of the Chippewa Falls High School Band, which slammed into an overturned semi-truck, moments after the semi-truck driver lost control.
The semi-truck driver, Michael J. Kozlowski, of Indiana, was acquitted of all criminal charges last year in state court, including a negligent homicide charge. The new federal charges stem from the truck driver falsifying his driver logs.
According to the indictment and the investigation by the National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB), the truck driver had falsely logged 10 hours of sleep time on 12 separate occasions. All of the false logs occurred within a three month period in fall of 2005.
Under federal law, semi-truck drivers are required to record their hours of service. This includes documenting the amount of time driving, as well as time sleeping and time off. The NTSB investigation concluded that truck driver fatigue was a major factor in causing the crash. Visit our Wisconsin Truck Driver Fatigue page for more information on hours of service requirements.
