According to the Kennebec Journal, new details have emerged in the case of a fatal crash that happened last year involving a truck driver from Portland and a couple from Falmouth, Maine.

The KJ says that 40-year-old, David E Herring of South Portland, was driving his 18-wheeler on the Maine Turnpike in January of 2021 when he hit the car travelling ahead of him.

The two people in the vehicle that was struck were both killed. The victims were Elizabeth Gattis (Betsy) and her husband, Geoff Gattis, both 68 of Falmouth. The KJ indicates the couple were on their way home after visiting with grandchildren in Massachusetts, the paper reports.

Reports from the crash say that traffic had slowed down in front of Herring's 18-wheeler, but he didn't notice in time and was unable to stop prior to striking the Gattis' vehicle.

New details in the case are now bringing accusations of distracted driving in the form of streaming television. Prosecutors have indicated that they are likely to allege that Herring was watching a 'Netflix show about teenage magicians', the Kennebec Journal reported.

Back in July of 2021 Herring pleaded not guilty to manslaughter charges, though the case remains open. The judge in the case has ordered Herring to not drive while the case remains active, according to the KJ.

Herring was offered a plea deal last year by prosecutors, though he rejected it. The plea deal would have sent Herring to prison for 10 years of a 15-year sentence. The case is now likely headed for trail, the newspaper reports.

Herring's attorney, Rob Andrews, said that his client was in fact distracted prior to the crash, though he said it had nothing to do with Netflix. He said while his client did have Netflix streaming in the cab, his client only used it to listen to as a radio substitute and wasn't actually watching it, says the KJ.

Andrews said that his client was instead distracted by another motorist that abruptly slowed down and pulled off the highway. Andrews alleges that Herring's eyes followed the motorist pulling off the highway and when he looked back ahead the traffic in front of him had slowed, according to the KJ.

15 Events We Were Talking About In 2021

There is no doubt that a lot has happened in the last twelve months. In fact, so much has happened that there is a good chance you may not remember all of the big events from the last year. That's why we've put together a list of some of the big events that affected us in New England.

The 10 Worst Places To Live In Maine In 2021

Roadsnacks has released their 2021 list of the worst places to live in Maine.

Do you have our free radio station app yet? If not, it's the perfect way to request a song, talk to the DJs, enter exclusive contests and to stay up to date with everything that's happening in and around Central Maine and the world. When you download it, make sure you turn on the push notifications so that we can send you exclusive content and local breaking news that you need to know about first. Just enter your mobile number below and we'll send a download link right to your mobile device. After that, you can download for free and immediately begin accessing all kinds of exclusive content tailored just for you. Give it a try and stay connected with us!

Get our free mobile app

More From