Troopers noted Leron was pacing anxiously at the scene of the crash and told police, “I was coming up the ramp, traffic slowed down a little too much, I tried to slow down, but I ended up swerving. I was about to slam on the brakes and my trailer went around me.”
Documents detail how police acquired dashcam footage from Leron’s truck, but the camera was angled too high to show any traffic. The camera did list Leron’s speed, however, as 62 mph just seconds before the collision. It was noted that the semi with Tennessee plates was at a complete stop in backed-up construction traffic before Leron’s Freightliner crashed into the pack of vehicles.
When police interviewed Leron, he told investigators he’d been driving semi-trucks for roughly two years and currently worked as a subcontractor for the United States Postal Service hauling mail. Leron had been on his way to Cincinnati after departing South Dakota.
According to court documents, Leron told investigators he had believed traffic was clear and not congested and didn’t recall seeing traffic stopped in front of him. But Leron also told police officers he was in the left lane at the time of the collision when he’d actually been in the middle lane. He also mentioned recalling “slight congestion of traffic” after previously saying he didn’t notice any.
Officers noted Leron was traveling with a dog and had several food and drink items out along with a laptop and two cell phones. Leron denied being distracted while driving, however.
