The Texas trucker involved in a fatal crash in Colorado that killed four people and injured several has been convicted. The incident took place in 2019 at the I-70 in Lakewood, Colorado. The trucker lost control of his semi-trailer and rammed into stopped traffic.
The 25-year-old Texas truck driver, named Rogel Lazaro Aguilera-Moderos, will be sentenced by December 13. He could face decades behind bars.
Aguilera-Moderos Faced Vehicular Homicide, Related Charges
Reuters reported that Aguilera-Moderos faced vehicular homicide and related charges. Of the charges, he was convicted by a Jefferson County, Colorado, jury of four counts of homicide and more than two dozen other charges such as vehicular assault, reckless driving, and careless driving resulting in death.
Reuters noted that prosecutors said Aguilera-Moderos already knew his brakes were failing during the trial as he descended the interstate on April 15, 2019. Further, he bypassed four runaway-truck ramps along the interstate and waved in and out of traffic. Finally, he crashed the truck he was driving, and it resulted in a 28-car pileup.
At the time he was driving, he was hauling lumber. His semi-trailer then burst into flames, and the fire engulfed more than two dozen vehicles. The incident led to the highway shutting down for more than a day.
Aguilera-Moderos Had Something To Say
During the trial, Aguilera-Mederos took the stand in his defense. He testified that he could not control his vehicle when the brakes failed, and he added that he tried his best to avoid hitting other cars. Later, he also admitted that he had never driven in the Colorado Mountains in the past. CNN also reported that he told investigators he thought he would die, so he closed his eyes before he hit the stopped traffic. CNN added that Aguilera-Mederos said he wanted to pull over to the shoulder to avoid the stopped traffic, but another semi already stopped there.
As for his thoughts on the people who died because of the incident, Reuters said he wished it had been him who perished instead of the victims.
The victims are Colorado residents named Doyle Harrison, 61, William Bailey, 67, Miguel Angel Lamas Arellano, 24, and Stanley Politano, 69.
