Former truck driver admits distracted driving in fatal Shin-Meishin Expressway crash

During a court hearing regarding a fatal multi-vehicle collision on the Shin-Meishin Expressway in Mie Prefecture, former truck driver Mizutani Mizutoyo admitted to distracted driving. The defendant stated she was not paying attention to the road ahead and was not monitoring her speedometer during the incident in March.

It was previously noted that the defendant had been watching TikTok cooking videos for approximately 13 seconds immediately before the crash. The accident, which occurred inside a tunnel in Kameyama City, involved a large truck colliding with a line of traffic, causing a fire.

The collision resulted in the deaths of six people, including a family of five from Shizuoka Prefecture traveling toward the Kansai region and a single man from Saitama Prefecture. Family members of the victims expressed profound frustration in court, criticizing the defendant's perceived inability to offer sincere apologies to the bereaved.