FMCSA Declares Georgia Truck Driver to be an Imminent Hazard to Public Safety

WASHINGTON, Oct. 30, 2015 /PRNewswire-USNewswire/ -- The U.S. Department of Transportation's Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration (FMCSA) has declared Georgia-licensed truck driver Matthew Jason Boozer to be an imminent hazard to public safety and has ordered him not to operate any commercial motor vehicle in interstate commerce. 

An FMCSA investigation revealed that Boozer is medically unqualified to operate a commercial motor vehicle in interstate commerce and that he had falsified the medical history section of a recent truck driving job application to conceal a disqualifying medical diagnosis. 

On July 6, 2015, while driving a commercial vehicle on Georgia State Route 11, Boozer suffered a medical problem, resulting in his truck crossing both lanes of traffic and crashing through a fence before colliding into a parked vehicle.

Following the crash, Boozer was sent by his employer to a physician who declared him to be medically unqualified; Boozer was subsequently terminated from his employment as a truck driver.

On July 7, 2015, Boozer, in a truck driving job application submitted to a different employer, falsified the medical history section to conceal the medical disqualification issued the previous day, which referenced a 2011 disqualifying medical diagnosis. 

Boozer was subsequently hired on the basis of his fraudulent job application and drove trucks for his new employer through September 17, 2015, when his employer became aware of his July 6, 2015 crash and his disqualifying medical condition.

Violating an imminent hazard out-of-service order by a CDL holder may result in civil penalties of up to $2,500 and disqualification from operating a commercial vehicle for not less than 180 days for a first offense.  A second offense may result in civil penalties of up to $5,000 and disqualification from operating a commercial vehicle for not less than two years.  Failure to comply with the provisions of the imminent hazard out-of-service order may also result in criminal charges brought by the U.S. Attorney's Office.

SOURCE Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration

Related Links

http://www.fmcsa.dot.gov