Donald Leroy Creed was driving his tractor-trailer this summer in Oklahoma when he crashed into the rear end of many vehicles and killed 10 people.

Six cars were completely stopped on a turnpike due to an earlier accident. The speed limit was 75 mph and Creed was going 71 at the time of the crash. There were no defects found on the truck.

Creed appeared in court for the first time since the accident. He is charged with 10 misdemeanor counts of negligent homicide. The hearing lasted about only ten minutes in which Creed waived his right to a speedy trial. Creed will return on April 6 for a misdemeanor trial docket.

Creed and the company that still employs him, Associated Wholesale Grocers Inc., declined to comment.

Creed’s attorney, Paul Brunton, stated, “This was a tragic accident, extremely tragic.” Brunton just recently started on the case and said, “I just got handed a huge folder of discovery documents.” He would not comment any further.

There were no pre-impact or post-impact skids on the highway according to troopers. Witnesses say that the truck switched lanes without using a signal and never saw any brake lights. Creed had been driving from 3 a.m. until the time of the crash at 1 p.m.

A Bryan, Texas woman was killed last week when she lost control of her vehicle and ended up in the path of an on-coming 18-wheeler.

According to a story published on the Navasota Examiner’s website Nickie Lynn Pittman of Bryan, 38, was on her way to teach an English class at Montgomery College early Friday morning. Her car was cut in half by the impact and she was delcared dead at the scene.

Texas Department of Public Safety Trooper James Gonzales of Hempstead told Examiner reporters that Pittman was traveling eastbound on S.H. 105, when the 1997 Ford Escort she was driving veered slightly off the roadway and lost control of the vehicle for an unknown reason.

The Escort went into a sideways skid and ended up in the westbound lane, where it was struck on the right side by the oncoming W W Webber truck driven by Alfredo Carraman of Houston, 58. The car was cut in half as its back half was dragged underneath the one-ton that landed in a ditch on the north side of the roadway.

A June 26 wreck in northeastern Oklahoma is being investigated.  The crash killed 10 people.  Donald L. Creed, a truck driver, apparently caused the wreck because of inattention to the road.

Creed had driven for 10 hours straight before the crash, but he did not exceed the federal daily driving limit.  At the scene Creed “stated that vehicles had driven underneath him while he was parked” according to the report.  Creed had no visual obstructions for at least 2,400 feet before the accident.  The cars were stopped because of an earlier wreck.

The report stated that immediately following the wreck “Creed, although injured, was able to walk and negotiate turns and have no indications of having any visual problems.  He would turn his head and look at you when spoken to or when speaking.”

The inquiry found that there was no attempt to brake or take evasive action by Creed and there are no apparent problems with his brakes or steering.  There is “strong evidence” that Creed was using cruise control driving an 18-wheeler about 69.5 to 71 mph for about 4.5 minutes prior to the accident.

Creed has a clean driving record and had his commercial driver’s license renewed in April.  The company Creed drove for, Associated Wholesale Grocers, did not comment.  Unless Creed was driving under the influence, he will most likely face misdemeanor charges of negligent homicide, which carries up to one year of prison for each count according to a County District Attorney.