SPARKS, Nev. -- The driver of a big truck that plowed into an Amtrak train in Nevada Friday had five traffic violations since 2008, four of them for speeding in California and Alabama, according to records from the Nevada Department of Motor Vehicles.
The driver, Lawrence R. Valli, 43, of Winnemucca, Nev., was identified Monday by the Nevada Highway Patrol. He was driving a truck owned by John Davis Trucking Co. in the crash.
Valli, a conductor on the train and at least four passengers died in the crash. The Washoe County medical examiner identified two of the victims as Francis Knox, 58, and her granddaughter, Karly Knox, 18, of Seward, Neb.
Amtrak officials said they had accounted for all but five of the people aboard the train.
Meanwhile, the National Transportation Safety Board said it brought in more experts to investigate the crash, but still has little evidence that would explain what happened.
A cellphone found in the wreckage believed to be Valli's will be examined by NTSB investigators to determine whether he was using it at the time of the crash, said board member Earl Weener.
Weener said the truck Valli was driving consisted of a tractor and two trailers that weighed nearly 40,000 pounds, but NTSB has not yet determined the minimum stopping distance for the vehicle under the circumstances. The truck had two fuel tanks that could have held a maximum of 220 gallons.
The Nevada DMV released Valli's driving record Monday, showing he had three speeding violations in California when he was driving a school bus. Another speeding violation, in which he exceeded the limit by 11 mph to 20 mph, occurred in Alabama. He also had a seat belt violation in California.
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