Truck Driver Accused of Watching YouTube While Driving During Crash That Killed Mother and 2 Kids

A truck driver is accused of causing a fatal highway crash that took the lives of a mother and her two sons because he was watching YouTube on a tablet instead of the road.

According to a press release from the Jackson County Missouri Prosecutor’s Office, Eldar Skander faces three counts of first-degree involuntary manslaughter for a November 9 crash at East 19th Street and U.S. 71 Highway.

The crash claimed the lives of Olga Sorbalo and her two children, 8-year-old Luis and 4-year-old Samir. Her two-year-old child also suffered serious injuries, as well as her husband and his two sisters, according to KMBC. All seven were traveling in a van at the time it was struck by the semitruck.

According to an arrest affidavit shared by the Jackson County Prosecutor’s Office, Skander was driving the truck at a high rate of speed when it slammed into the van on the highway, seemingly without slowing down. The impact caused a pile-up that included the Honda Odyssey the family was in, a Honda CRV, a Ford Explorer and a FedEx truck. The drivers of the other two cars also suffered serious injuries, but the FedEx driver was unharmed.

Commercial Vehicle Enforcement immediately investigated the scene of the accident and found that Skander did not attempt to brake for the parked cars. When inspecting his cab, they found a tablet with the YouTube app open on the floor. It had Velcro on it that attached to a dashboard mount that would have been visible to the driver. It is believed that Skander was watching YouTube videos instead of the road.

The arrest warrant noted that, if Skander had been going the speed limit, he would have had roughly 20 seconds to notice the stopped cars on the highway and apply the brakes before impact. An investigation into why he seemingly did not is still underway. He is currently being held on $150,000 bond as well as an ICE hold.

So far, there is no public plea available for Skander. Meanwhile, the Sorbalo family has started a crowdfunding campaign to pay for the cost of transporting the bodies of the three deceased family members back home to Vancouver, Washington.