TUCSON (KVOA) — Four people are dead after a multi-vehicle crash on I-10 in Benson on Friday.
The Department of Public Safety said a semi-truck was heading westbound on I-10 when it crossed over the median, crashing head-on into another semi and a car.
DPS said Monday, the four people who died in the accident will not be identified, due to out of state residency.
The driver of the semi-truck who caused the collision, is still in the hospital.
Laura Evans, an instructor at HDS Truck Driving Institute says, "It’s gut wrenching, you know...your heart drops.”
"Safety is the most important when it comes to their own lives and the safety and lives of the public," Christen Ardell Nelson Jr. the lead instructor at HDS Truck Driving Institute explained. "The most important thing to me is safety. That’s it, everyone wants to go home to their family.”
"Training has a lot to do with it, we are letting them know it’s not uncle Bob in the backyard of the ranch showing them how to drive a semi. They are getting educated as to why it’s important to get your sleep, why it’s important to plan and you make sure you know where you are going and you make sure you are truly safe.”
Inside the classroom and on the road, student drivers at HDS learn everything from how to parallel park to how to train for long hours on the road behind the wheel with an instructor. This is to ensure that it’s not just anyone behind an 80,000 lb machine, it’s in the hands of someone experienced.
“Start your day with a pre-prepping, to make sure your truck is roadworthy. If it's not... it's not then and it can’t go on the road. Then other than safety, it's about keeping America moving. Hauling goods from one place to another and keeping up with supplies, but safety is first and always. That’s the number one priority of a driver."
