The former boss of a man accused of killing five people in a crash says bottles of alcohol are common tokens of appreciation.
Daniel Tschetter's boss says cement buyers and suppliers often give bottles of alcohol to show their appreciation for each other's business.
Tschetter is on trial for five counts of manslaughter stemming from an accident in December 2007.
On that night, the cement truck Tschetter was driving smashed into the back a car, while it was reportedly stopped at a red light.
Fourty-year-old Chris Gautreau, his daughters nine-year-old Alexia, six-year-old Kiarra, his girlfriend Melania Hovdebo and her 16-month-old son Zachary all died at the scene.
The family of the victims wants to know why Tschetter threw a bottle of vodka into his cement mixer moments after the crash.
"Whether or not he was delivering a bottle, the bottle they found - I was under the impression - it was a half-full bottle. Regardless, there was alcohol there," says Tim Gautreau, the brother of Chris.
Tschetter's lawyer does not deny his client threw the bottle but he won't say why.
Three different cops that dealt with Tschetter that night testified that they smelled booze on his breath.
One officer says Tschetter was glassy eyed and staggering. He was arrested for refusing a breathalyzer but that charge has since been stayed.
Tschetter insists he was not drunk at the time of the crash.
