The driver of a semi who crashed into stopped traffic on a Colorado interstate two years ago, killing four people and injuring others, was sentenced to 110 years in prison Monday.
Rogel Aguilera-Mederos, now 26, has said his brakes failed on the downhill grade on I-70 eastbound before he crashed into cars that were stopped because of another accident on April 25, 2019. A fire erupted that engulfed vehicles.
Judge A. Bruce Jones said his hands were tied by a law passed by state lawmakers that required him to sentence truck driver Aguilera-Mederos to consecutive sentences, meaning they are served back-to-back.
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Aguilera-Mederos addressed the judge and said that he did not mean to hurt anyone.
“It’s hard to live with this trauma. I can’t sleep, I’m thinking all the time about the victims,” he said. “... This was a terrible accident, I know. I take the responsibility. But it wasn’t intentional.”
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