HE WAS STREAMING NETFLIX BEFORE THE CRASH — TRUCK DRIVER PLEADS GUILTY AFTER IOWA COUPLE DIED ON HIGHWAY

Billie Joe Grimes, 57, admitted guilt in a crash that killed Matthew and Cimberly Hansen in Minnesota. Investigators said video evidence showed him watching a Netflix series as he approached slowing traffic in a construction zone.

A truck driver has pleaded guilty to causing a fatal highway crash that claimed the lives of an Iowa couple after investigators uncovered evidence that he had been streaming Netflix while driving.

Billie Joe Grimes, 57, entered guilty pleas on October 26, 2026, to two counts of criminal vehicular homicide and one count of criminal vehicular operation causing bodily harm.

The charges stem from an August 25, 2023, collision on Interstate 35 near Faribault, Minnesota, that killed Matthew Henry Hansen, 57, and his wife, Cimberly Ellen Hansen, 56, of Urbandale, Iowa.

Grimes is scheduled to be sentenced on March 16, 2027. No sentence has been imposed.

A FAMILY TRIP THAT NEVER REACHED ITS DESTINATION

Matthew and Cimberly were traveling north on I-35 to visit family when the collision happened at approximately 1:30 p.m.

Traffic ahead was slowing for a construction zone where the highway narrowed to one lane in each direction.

A Chevrolet pickup truck pulling a flatbed trailer was also traveling through the area.

Grimes was driving a loaded 2021 Volvo semitruck behind the vehicles when it struck the couple’s red Toyota Camry from behind.

The impact sent the Camry into a ditch. The semitruck continued forward, striking the pickup and its trailer before the vehicles went through a barbed-wire fence toward nearby railroad tracks.

Witnesses rushed to help those involved.

Cimberly had already passed away by the time people reached the couple’s car. Matthew initially showed signs of life, but witnesses reported that his pulse disappeared within minutes.

The pickup driver survived with injuries.

INVESTIGATORS UNCOVERED NETFLIX VIDEO

During the investigation, Grimes told state troopers that he had looked down shortly before the collision.

He claimed that when he looked up again, the Toyota was directly in front of him and he could not stop because of the weight of his load. He denied using his phone while driving.

But investigators uncovered video evidence that contradicted his account.

According to the criminal complaint, footage from inside the truck showed Grimes streaming the Netflix series Rust Valley Restorers as he approached the construction zone.

Investigators also determined that he had passed five construction-warning signs over approximately five miles. Two of those signs featured flashing lights.

A crash reconstruction found that the semitruck’s cruise control was set at approximately 67 to 68 mph.

Investigators found no evidence that Grimes applied the brakes before striking the vehicles.

The evidence became central to the case, as authorities examined how the truck continued toward slowing traffic without an apparent attempt to stop.

FROM NOT GUILTY PLEA TO GUILTY

Grimes was initially charged in April 2024 and previously pleaded not guilty.

After the case moved forward, he changed his plea on October 26, 2026, admitting guilt to all three criminal counts.

His guilty plea means the case will proceed to sentencing rather than a jury trial.

He is due back in court on March 16, 2027, when a judge is expected to determine his sentence.

A COUPLE WHO BUILT A LIFE AROUND FAMILY

For Matthew and Cimberly’s loved ones, the court proceedings cannot undo the loss of two people who had spent decades building a life together.

The couple met while attending Iowa State University and eventually made their home in the Des Moines area.

They raised four children and later enjoyed traveling, camping and spending time with their children and grandchildren.

Their family remembered them for their strong commitment to faith, family and the outdoors.

What was supposed to be a journey to visit loved ones became a tragedy that changed their family forever.

Matthew and Cimberly are remembered not only as the two people lost in a highway collision, but as devoted parents, grandparents and partners whose lives were built around the people they loved.

Their family now carries the memories of the years they shared — and the moments they should have had together.

Two lives lost. One family forever changed.