YORK COUNTY, Va. — A lawsuit has been filed seeking damages for a victim of the 2022 incident in York County where an 18-wheeler truck driver crashed into a party bus, killing three people and seriously injuring 19 others.
On Dec. 16, 2022, around 1:38 a.m., Daniel L. Cramer was driving the 18-wheeler on I-64 in York County when he hit a party bus, ejecting all 22 passengers. Officials said three people died on impact and 19 other people sustained life-threatening injuries.
Towanda R. Futrell, one of the bus passengers and owner of the party bus company, is suing Cramer, claiming he drove the truck while intentionally exceeding the maximum number of hours as a driver for Triton Logistics, Inc. The crash occurred because of the driver's excessive fatigue, it was determined.
Futrell is also suing Triton Logistics, Inc. and WDTC, LLC, a one-person company that Cramer formed himself. She claimed the companies "are liable, and responsible for the acts and/or omissions of negligence" of Cramer.
In the lawsuit, Futrell claims Triton Logistics Inc. had an alert for unsafe driving and a safety rating of "Not Rated" which was later changed to "conditional" after several issues were found, including:
- Fraudulent or intentional of a supporting document after a carrier submitted a false payroll document for a fictitious co-driver.
- Making or permitting a driver to make a false report regarding records of duty status after failing to conduct a pre-employment query
- Operating a commercial motor vehicle in violation of local/state laws- unsafe driving
- Driver not properly using a safety belt
- Commercial Motor Vehicle equipped with a radar detector.
- Driver using a handheld mobile telephone while operating a CMV.
- Requiring or permitting a property-carrying commercial motor vehicle to drive more than 11 hours
Futrell requested a jury trial and is suing for $5.3 million.
