A lawsuit against JB Hunt has been amended to include a truck driver after investigation revealed he was using his phone to review his dating profile at the time of a fatal crash.
The crash happened in Bell County, Texas on May 22nd, 2024 after motorist Tracy Rambosek ran out of gas on Interstate 35 and stalled on the interstate. Truck driver Barry Giebelstein then crashed into the back of Rambosek’s car.
Rambosek’s family initially brought a lawsuit against trucking company JB Hunt, who Giebelstein was driving for at the time. Now, an investigation into Giebelstein’s phone records shows that he was screenshotting his Facebook dating profile at the time of the crash, reported ABC 13. The family has since amended the lawsuit to include Giebelstein.
Both driver-facing cameras and downloaded phone records confirm that Giebelstein was on his phone at the time of the crash.
“There was significant phone use by Mr. Giebelstein up to the crash, including the moments during the crash,” said Greenburg, the family attorney.
The phone records show that Giebelstein took a screenshot of a photo of himself and a friend on motorcycles at 4:44 a.m. while on a phone call and reviewing his Facebook dating app. The crash happened at 4:45 a.m.
“He’s not even looking, so we’re left to wonder, had he been looking, what could he have done?” Greenberg continued.
Records show that Giebelstein has been educated on the dangers of distracted driving multiple times before the fatal wreck. Six weeks before the wreck, he was counseled after his camera pinged him for eating while driving and using his elbow and knee to steer. Three weeks before the crash, his camera documented him taking his eyes off of the road for five seconds.
Greenberg says that JB Hunt had multiple opportunities to take action to prevent Giebelstein from causing a crash but they did not do so.
“Time after time, the family sees that the company had a chance to make the road safer and prevent their family member’s death and they simply chose not to,” Greenberg said.
