NTSB: drug-impaired driver caused Nevada crash that killed 5

LAS VEGAS (AP) — A drug-impaired and fatigued truck driver was the probable cause of a December 2020 crash on a Nevada highway that killed five bicyclists and injured four others, federal authorities said Wednesday.

But the National Transportation Safety Board’s final report on the crash also said that a contributing factor to the tragedy was the bikers’ decision to ride in the right travel lane of a 75-mph roadway about 60 miles (95 kilometers) south of Las Vegas.

About 20 bicyclists were riding into a strong headwind during an annual recreational ride through scenic desert in Nevada and California.

Investigators said the flat-faced truck plowed into cyclists riding behind a support SUV on U.S. 95 between Boulder City and Searchlight, Nevada.

The then 45-year-old commercial truck driver, working for an Arizona-based courier service, told authorities after the crash that he fell asleep at the wheel.

But Clark County prosecutors said blood tests showed Jordan Alexander Barson had nine times the amount of methamphetamine in his system that would indicate impairment.

Barson pleaded guilty in June 2021 to two counts of driving under the influence resulting in death and is serving a prison sentence of 16 to 40 years.

Barson’s plea deal avoided trial on 14 felony charges that could have kept him behind bars for the rest of his life if he was convicted.

In its report, the NTSB said strategies are needed by the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration and the Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration to reduce fatalities, injuries and crashes involving drug-impaired drivers.

The agency also said it advocates a safe system approach to protect vulnerable road users including bicyclists.