EAST RIDGE, Tennessee — A Hamilton County grand jury has indicted the truck driver accused in the Mother’s Day crash on Interstate 75, issuing six felony charges after state law required consolidation of several earlier counts, officials confirmed.

^{Photo credit: WTVC}

The driver — identified by law enforcement as Joseph Antoinier, 66, of Boynton Beach, Florida, though court records list him as Dieudonne Joseph — is now charged with three counts of vehicular homicide, two counts of reckless aggravated assault, and one count of reckless endangerment.

^{Photo credit: Tennessee Highway Patrol}

Prosecutor Andrew Coyle explained that the consolidation occurred because reckless endangerment is not charged per victim, but rather as a single offense covering all individuals placed in danger.

“If I’m in a crowd of 10 people and I shoot a gun, that’s not 10 counts of reckless endangerment,”
Coyle said. “That would be one count that covers everyone in the zone of danger.”

He emphasized that every victim is still fully represented within the corrected charges, which were updated before reaching the grand jury.

^{Photo credit: Hamilton Co. Jail / WTVC} 

Background of the Crash

The indictment stems from the May 11 I-75 crash near the Tennessee Welcome Center, where investigators say Antoinier’s tractor-trailer was speeding and failed to brake as traffic slowed, slamming into multiple vehicles and triggering a devastating chain-reaction collision.

Three people were killed:

• David Huggins, 61

• Lane Smith, 23

• 22-month-old Sawyer Smith, who suffered severe burns and died a week later

Lane Smith’s wife, Baleigh Smith, and children were also injured. Brynlee Smith required skin grafts, and Baleigh underwent surgery.

Following Sawyer’s death, authorities issued an additional warrant upgrading Antoinier’s charges.

Original Charges Reduced by Statutory Requirement

Antoinier had initially faced two counts of reckless homicide, three counts of reckless aggravated assault, and seven counts of felony reckless endangerment, according to the arrest report. State law required the seven reckless endangerment counts to be merged into one charge.

He is out on bond, which was set at $115,000, according to court records. Antoinier currently has no attorney listed in Hamilton County’s public records.

The case remains active as prosecutors continue preparing for trial.

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