The driver of the semi involved in a crash that killed a Duchesne County man and paralyzed a Salt Lake County woman last spring is now facing a charge of automobile homicide. On December 1st, 37-year-old Nathaniel Bone was charged with 2nd degree felony Automobile Homicide, Negligence Use of a Handheld Wireless Device and Misdemeanor Use of a Handheld Device While Driving. According to court documents, the accident took place on May 27th in Summit County. Bone was climbing a hill, driving a Kenworth tractor trailer pulling two tankers filled with crude oil, when the semi rear ended a Saturn sedan that was stopped on Highway 40. The driver of the Saturn was paralyzed as a result of the crash and the passenger, Duchesne County man Landon Peatross, was killed. Initially, Bone told investigators that he had looked down at his GPS system and didn’t have time to stop when he looked up before impacting the stopped vehicle. Later Bone came forward saying he had to “tell the truth” and shared that he had been using the internet on his phone before the crash and that his truck was equipped with a dash camera system. The footage showed that the semi was traveling at 32 miles per hour when the Saturn passed it. Once a significant distance ahead of the semi, the car began to brake and the footage shows what appears to be deer running across the freeway in front of the Saturn. Bone’s vehicle then impacted the Saturn from behind. Troopers found no evidence that Bone ever applied the brakes or reduced his speed before the collision. He will appear in court on January 8th.
