A company driver's use of an onboard electronic messaging system was a major factor in a fiery 1999 crash in Pennsylvania that killed two motorists, according to a published report. The family of one victim recently was awarded a $6.5 million mediated settlement.

An attorney representing Jeffrey Shober's estate, claims Werner Enterprises Inc., more so than its driver, must shoulder responsibility for the accident. While Werner warns its drivers not to use the messaging system while driving, the company has not had the messaging systems disconnected when its trucks are on the road, lawyer Peter Villari told the Norristown Times Herald.

"Why tempt a driver?" asked Villari, explaining that a light and tone go off when a message is sent to the driver. "It's like having your phone ring but being told not to answer it."

Shober, of Havertown, PA, was one of two men who burned to death in the Feb. 2, 1999, collision. The accident occurred on the Schuylkill Expressway near King of Prussia.

Truckdriver Robert Spadaccine, of Milford, DE, was driving his rig in the right-hand lane while Louis Ottaviano, of Limerick, PA, was driving his Volkswagen in the left-hand lane. The Volkswagen allegedly made a sharp right turn into Spadaccine's lane. The car was so close to the truck that the truck rear-ended the Volkswagen. The Volkswagen then collided with Shober's car.

Both cars exploded in a fiery blaze that killed Ottaviano and Shober.

Shortly after the accident, officials found Spadaccine was not to blame for the accident and that his truck was in good working order. However, an independent investigation of the accident revealed that Spadaccine had been sending a message over his onboard messaging system just seconds before the accident.