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EAST RIDGE, Tenn. — We're digging deeper to answer questions about a
tractor trailer driver who police say caused Sunday's deadly crash on
I-75 in East Ridge, and the company he worked for.

We found records online that the company, Valparaiso Trucking Corp, has
been cited for violations its employees made this year.

Online records show that driver, 65-year-old Joseph Antoinier, faces
more than a dozen charges, including 2 counts of reckless homicide and
several counts of felony reckless endangerment and reckless aggravated
assault.

Video from the Tennessee Department of Transportation shows the moments
leading up to the crash, and its immediate aftermath, although the
camera was far away to see any detail of the actual crash, other than a fireball.

Watch:

Two men lost their lives, and several others, including children, were seriously hurt.

We learned from an arrest report we obtained from East Ridge Police on Wednesday that among those injured were a 7-year-old girl who had burns
to her leg, and an 18-month-old child "with severe burn injuries."

That arrest report also says

Witnesses reported that the semi-truck involved had been driving
erratically prior to the collision, swerving between lanes and
exhibiting reckless behavior. Video footage of the scene confirmed that
the semi-truck was traveling at a high rate of speed and failed to brake
as traffic slowed, resulting in a chain reaction crash. Though the truck
was clearly labeled 'Amazon,' an Amazon spokesperson tells us the driver
did not work directly for the global company.

Instead, he was contracted out through the Florida-based company
Valparaiso Trucking Corp had been outsourced to make deliveries for
them.

However, we spoke with Valparaiso Trucking Corp owner Wisner Florestant
on Wednesday, and he was quick to distance himself from Antoinier, his employee.

Florestant told us all 7 of his drivers are owner-operators and do not
drive his trucks. He added that Joseph Antoinier is responsible for his
own actions, "as a grown man who's been driving for years."

Florestant said a couple of his drivers may have minor violations like a speeding ticket, but he insists Antoinier was "not a rookie".

Wisner told us his company has no history of crashes.

He told us police called him and he is cooperating with them and doing
his "due diligence". He said he has not talked to Antoinier since he is
in jail and says he was not able to get ahold of Antoinier's family.

Our investigation into Valparaiso revealed several Safety Measure System violations this year, according to the Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration website, including:

False logs
Unauthorized passengers
Speeding (6-10 mph over limit)
License-related violations (lacking correct endorsements for cargo)
We continue to dig deeper and ask questions about how the crash
happened, and if both Valparaiso and Amazon could be held responsible
along with the driver.

Antoinier is scheduled to appear in East Ridge Criminal Court next
Tuesday, May 20th.

This story will be updated soon, so check back.

https://newschannel9.com/news/local/amazon-contractor-in-deadly-i-75-cras h-in-east-ridge-faces-scrutiny-for-violations

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