Kentucky driver sentenced for crash that killed 6

CHATTANOOGA, Tn. (WTVQ) – A truck driver from Kentucky has been sentenced to 55 years in prison for a deadly crash in Tennessee in 2015.

In January, a Tennessee jury found 42-year-old Benjamin Brewer, of London, guilty of six counts of vehicular homicide, four counts of reckless aggravated homicide, speeding and driving under the influence.

Prosecutors say Brewer had methamphetamines in his system when the tractor-trailer he was driving barreled through a construction zone without braking on I-75 near Chattanooga, killing six people and injuring four others.

Five of those killed were from the same family, including an 8-year-old and an 11-year-old, who became trapped when their car burst into flames after being hit.

Brewer’s attorneys noted no responding officers said Brewer appeared under the influence and a state toxicologist admitted to contaminating Brewer’s blood test that was methamphetamine-positive.

On Monday, a judge sentenced Brewer, calling him a “dangerous offender.”