Deadly I-70 Crash: Truck Driver Gets 110 Years

LAKEWOOD, CO — A truck driver convicted of vehicular manslaughter in October was sentenced to 110 years in prison Monday.

On April 25, 2019, Rogel Aguilera-Mederos, then 23, was driving a semi-truck on I-70 near Lakewood. Police have said that Aguilera-Mederos was driving a flatbed loaded with lumber about 85 miles an hour, bypassing several emergency pull-off areas. He slammed into cars stopped due to another accident, instantly killing four and causing a car fire, and was charged with 42 different counts.

At the sentencing, Aguilera-Mederos and the victim both shared their experiences.

"My life has been very difficult, sad, depressing, terrible, bad, since April 2019, I know that it has been hard and heartbreaking for everyone involved,"Aguilera-Mederos said in a teary statement. I'm dying alive. It's hard to live with this trauma. I can't sleep. I'm thinking all the time about the victims."

"It's been difficult, sometimes it feels like being half a person," said Kathleen Harrison, who lost her husband Doyle in the crash.

In October, Aguilera-Mederos was found guilty by jury on 27 counts, including vehicular manslaughter, vehicular assault, first-degree assault, first-degree attempt to commit assault, reckless driving, and careless driving. He was also found not guilty on 15 counts of first-degree attempt to commit assault.

During testimony, Aguilera-Mederos’s defense argued that the brakes on his truck were faulty, while prosecutors argued that the driver made a series of bad choices leading to the crash, including not using a runaway truck ramp to the highway.

Aguilera-Mederos, who has broken down in tears during his testimony, is scheduled to appear at 1:30 p.m. at Jefferson County Courthouse. He is likely to receive dozens of years in prison.

Related:

• Deadly I-70 Crash: Truck Driver Found Guilty
• Truck Driver Accused In Deadly I-70 Crash Pleads Not Guilty
• ‘I Have Flashbacks’: Semi Driver Cries Over Deadly I-70 Crash