A Virginia grand jury has indicted the driver of the trash truck involved in a fatal wreck with an Amtrak train carrying lawmakers headed to a GOP retreat, authorities said Friday.
Dana Naylor Jr., 31, was indicted on one count of involuntary manslaughter and one count of maiming another while driving under the influence, according to Albemarle County Police Department. A co-worker of Naylor’s who was riding in the truck was killed and several lawmakers were injured in the Jan. 31 incident near Crozet, Virginia.
The Associated Press reported that court records indicated that Naylor was indicted Monday, but did not list an attorney for him. The indictments were still being processed Friday, and Naylor was not yet in custody, according to Madeline Curott, a police department spokeswoman.
GOP lawmakers had been riding aboard a special Amtrak charter that was headed for the Greenbrier resort in White Sulphur Springs, West Virginia. According to a preliminary report by the National Transportation Safety Board, the truck appeared to have bypassed the crossing gates and was on the tracks when it was struck by the train.
The Amtrak engineer hit the emergency brake but the train was going too fast to avoid the collision. The train struck the left rear of the trash truck, causing it to spin counterclockwise and hit a railroad signal bungalow. Two passengers were ejected from the truck, which came apart, leaving a field of debris.
Video from the train’s front-facing video camera showed that the gates were down as the crossing came into view and the truck was on the tracks. Witnesses told investigators that the truck had entered the crossing after the gates had gone down.
Several lawmakers, including Sen. Jeff Flake, R-Arizona, and Rep. Brad Wenstrup, R-Ohio, helped first responders carry one of the injured passengers to an ambulance — a role that Flake said was “too reminiscent” of the lifesaving measures they took to help House Majority Whip Steve Scalise, R-Louisiana, after a shooting on an Alexandria baseball field this past summer.
Online court records show Naylor has a history of motor vehicle infractions dating back to 2008, including driving an uninspected vehicle, failing to display license plates, having an improper exhaust system and failing to wear a seat belt, according to the AP. The infractions appear to be related to maintenance and inspection of his vehicles, not moving violations.
He was also convicted of possession of marijuana in 2011 and resisting arrest in 2009.