Mathew Small Provides HandWritten Note
Of Remorse to Boone County Sheriff
January 6th, 2020
“My heart and prayers are with the families. I am in agony over this whole ordeal” — Mathew Small.
Mr. Small’s employer is VL Trucking, Inc. based out of Dubuque, IA. The organization has a “satisfactory” safety rating according to U.S. Department of Transportation records.
The Boone County Sheriff expects his family to post bond after Mr. Small attends an initial hearing for the charges.
Update from Boone County Sheriff’s Office:
The Boone County Sheriff’s Office is experiencing an extremely large amount of media requests regarding yesterday’s tragic fatality. As you can understand, this crash is still under investigation. Investigations like these could potentially take up to 6 months to fully investigate. This is day 2 of the investigation and there is still a lot to qlean regarding every facet of this crash. Mr. Small wishes to refrain from any media interviews. When tragedies like this strike, we must take into account the families of the victims, the family of Mr. Small and the numerous agencies all working together to figure out what transpired, and why. Having said that, we ask that you give us time to compile data and complete a very thorough investigation before any other information is conveyed. Thank you. — Boone County Sheriff’s Office Press Release
Boone County Sheriff Mike Nielsen Released the following statement:
“Thank you for being patient with us during this investigation. I have spoken to both families personally and we are working on helping them through these difficult decisions that they must make for their loved ones. I have also spoken to Mr. Small. He is very regretful and upset for what happened and wanted me to relay the information on this handwritten note. There are many aspects of this crash that will be looked into including videos that may exist, device data, forensic analysis, autopsy results, blood work results, etc. This is all part of a detailed investigation and our FACT Team, along with our criminal investigation division, does an excellent job in investigating these types of crashes. We will also be looking at other factors in our investigation such as why the traffic was backed up and in a Que on northbound I-65. Although this is a very tragic event, it will take us time to complete a detailed reconstruction of this crash. Please continue to think about and pray for all of these families as they walk through this difficult journey.” – Boone County Sheriff Mike Nielsen
January 5th 2020 – Boone County Sheriff office announced the arrest of Mathew Lewis Small, 34 of Grandville, MI the driver of the semi which likely collided with all eight vehicles as he drove through the slower traffic. Causing 3 deaths and 14 injuries. Thirteen patients were transported to St. Vincent’s Hospital and one girl was taken to Riley Hospital. All injuries on the 14 patients appear to be non-life threatening.
All fatalities were from the one vehicle and were later identified as Mariah Tomey 21, Kaylee Kirk 19, and Haley Tomey 1. All the occupants were from Lebanon, In.
Mr. Small told investigators he looked away to sit his coffee mug down, when he encountered slowing traffic.
Mr. Small faces 3 charges of Reckless Homicide (Level 5 Felonies); he was arrested, booked and lodged in the jail at Boone County.
WRTV 6 headline – Their report contains information regarding the driver’s record
Semi-truck driver in deadly crash has history of reckless driving, following too closely
WTHR 13 Headline – Their report contains details of the crash and aftermath
Semi driver arrested in deadly I-65 crash shares handwritten note of remorse
Content courtesy Boone County Sheriff, and The Editor
