Colorado

Truck Driver Sentenced to 110 Years in Colorado Wreck That Killed 4

Rogel Aguilera-Mederos said his brakes were not working before his big rig slammed into stopped traffic on a highway, causing vehicles to burst into flames

FILE – Workers clear debris from the eastbound lanes of Interstate 70 on April 26, 2019, in Lakewood, Colo., following a deadly pileup involving a semi-truck hauling lumber.
(AP Photo/David Zalubowski, File)

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.

Watch NBC6 free wherever you are

Watch button  WATCH HERE

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.

Get local news you need to know to start your day with NBC 6's News Headlines newsletter.

Newsletter button  SIGN UP

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.”

Read the full story on NBCNews.com.

Contact Us