Pennsylvania Trucker Charged with Murder After Ramming Motorcyclist Off Minnesota Highway

Timothy Hall, 33, is accused of deliberately swerving his semi to block Roy Berger, 30, then running him over on Highway 371 in Cass County. Hall faces two counts of second-degree murder.

Pennsylvania Trucker Accused of Intentionally Blocking and Killing Motorcyclist on Minnesota Highway

A 33-year-old Pennsylvania truck driver faces two counts of second-degree murder after allegedly using his semitrailer to force a motorcyclist off a Minnesota highway and running him over, Law & Crime reports.

Timothy William Arthur Hall was arrested following the fatal road rage incident on southbound Highway 371 near Highway 200 in Cass County. The victim, Roy John Berger, 30, was pronounced dead at the scene. Hall is also charged with two counts of criminal vehicular homicide — one alleging gross negligence, the other for leaving the scene of a fatal collision.

The crash occurred shortly before 4 p.m. on Aug. 20. Minnesota State Patrol troopers arrived to find a badly damaged motorcycle and Berger suffering fatal injuries.

Multiple witnesses at the scene told investigators that Hall's semi moved deliberately toward the shoulder as Berger attempted to pass. "Multiple witnesses described the semi as intentionally swerving onto the shoulder of the road in an attempt to block the motorcycle from passing it," the criminal complaint states. "They described the maneuver as intentional."

The truck then made a second move. "The semi made a quick maneuver toward the shoulder and pushed the motorcycle into the cable barrier, causing the crash," the complaint continues. "Then the semi had run over the motorcycle driver and fled from the scene."

Dashcam footage retrieved from the semitrailer, provided to investigators by the trucking company, captured the entire sequence of events. "It showed the semi make a quick maneuver to the left to prevent the motorcycle from passing," the complaint states. "The motorcycle then tried to pass on the right shoulder, and the semi made a quick maneuver toward the cable barrier, causing the crash." The footage showed the truck crossing the solid white line at speed despite no debris or obstacle on the road requiring such a movement.

After running over Berger, Hall allegedly continued driving without stopping. Investigators tracked down the semi and conducted a traffic stop. Hall told authorities he had not been involved in a crash, according to ABC affiliate KSTP. That claim was undermined by damage to the truck consistent with the collision — and by what appeared to be human remains found on one of its mud flaps, local Fox affiliate KMSP reported.

Berger was wearing a helmet at the time of the crash. Investigators found no indication that alcohol was a factor for either driver, Valley News Live reported.

Hall was processed at the Itasca County Jail, where he is being held without bond. As of publication, no next court date had been scheduled, according to the Minnesota Star Tribune, which first reported details from the criminal complaint.

Source: Law & Crime