A lawsuit has been filed after a deadly crash on June 28 along I-20 near Terrell, Texas, where a Hope Trans truck slammed into stopped traffic, killing five people.
What happened: The Hope Trans driver, Alexis Osmani Gonzalez Companioni, reportedly fell asleep at the wheel and plowed into vehicles that were stopped from a previous accident. Four members of the McKellar family and Nicole LaJeunesse Gregory died in the crash.
- The truck was hauling U.S. Postal Service mail alone, even though postal rules say team drivers are required for long runs like this one.
- Former Hope Trans drivers claim the company ordered solo drivers on routes over 500 miles and told them to hide paperwork and use special phrases to get around federal hours of service rules.
- Backdated bills of lading were allegedly used to make it look like drivers took required breaks. Screenshots in the lawsuit show messages telling drivers to never show original documents to police.
The lawsuit: The suit, filed by Gregory's family, names Hope Trans, owner Aishat Magomedova, and broker Covenant Logistics. It claims they put profits ahead of safety by assigning solo drivers on long postal runs.
- Whistleblowers say they warned Covenant that Hope Trans was breaking the rules, but nothing changed.
- The lawsuit says Covenant controlled schedules and could have required up-to-date safety tech in Hope trucks but did not take action, despite Hope's poor safety record.
- Hope Trans drivers have had many violations since the crash. The company is now facing cancellation of its insurance and a federal “unsatisfactory” safety rating, which could shut it down by mid-October, according to WFAA.
The driver involved, Gonzalez Companioni, sits in jail on manslaughter and aggravated assault charges. Hope Trans has not replied to comment requests, and Covenant says it does not comment on active lawsuits.