Prison sentence of trucker who caused fatal accident could reduce from 110 to 30 years

The Colorado District Attorney asked the court to review the term of imprisonment for the truck driver responsible for the fatal accident.

On Monday, December 27, First District Attorney Alexis King demanded a lighter sentence of twenty to thirty years for 26-year-old trucker Rogel Aguilera-Mederos.

The push for a lighter sentence followed a massive public outcry against the sentence. A Change.org petition seeking mercy for Aguilera Mederos garnered nearly 5 million signatures.

On December 13, 2021, Aguilera-Mederos was sentenced to 110 years in prison after being convicted on 27 counts in October 2021.

The charges were brought against a fatal crash that occurred on I-70 near Lakewood, Colorado on April 25, 2019.

Aguilera Mederos was transporting wood when, as was reported, he reached 85 mph, in an area where truck speed is limited to 45 mph. He lost control of the truck and crashed into the vehicle in front of him, which in turn crashed into the next one. As a result, 24 cars and four trucks were involved in an accident.

Video filmed prior to the crash showed Aguilera Mederos driving around an approaching ramp before crashing into cars.

As a result of the accident, four people were killed and several others were injured.

District Court Judge Bruce Jones told Aguilera-Mederos that he had no choice but to order a 110-year prison sentence due to Colorado’s mandatory minimum standards of punishment, but also said “if I had a discretion, this wouldn’t be my sentence.”

In an emotional statement made in court just minutes before the 110-year sentence was handed down, Aguilera-Mederos said he’s not a murderer and never intended to harm anyone. He expressed regret for the victims and said that he was under great psychological stress in result of the fatal disaster: “I know it was a terrible accident. I take responsibility. But I’m not a criminal.”