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Rogel Aguilera-Mederos, a 26-year-old truck driver, was sentenced to 110 years in prison earlier this week for involvement in a tragic traffic accident in 2019.
The fatal incident occurred in Colorado after Rogel’s truck lost its brakes and crashed into dozens of cars, causing a 28-vehicle pileup that left four dead and several people injured. Authorities reported that no drugs or alcohol were involved in the case and the driver had no previous criminal record.
However, Rogel Aguilera-Mederos was declared guilty of 27 counts under the state law even though Judge Bruce Jones said he had no personal desire to announce the sentencing.
Following the hearing, a petition was launched requesting Colorado Governor Jared Polis to grant clemency to the defendant. The campaign has already garnered more than 4.5 million signatures, becoming one of the most signed petitions this year.
Meanwhile, hundreds of truck drivers also supported Rogel with the #notruckscolorado campaign, boycotting to drive trucks through the state. On Tuesday, December 21, Kim Kardashian joined millions of people online to ask for the driver’s clemency.
The KUWTK star also requested that the Governor commute Rogel’s sentence. In response to the mass campaigning, a spokesperson for Polis told Newsweek that the office is “aware of the sentencing and the petition.”
What happened in the Rogel Aguilera-Mederos truck accident?
On April 25, 2019, Rogel Aguilera-Mederos was driving an 18-wheeler semi-truck along Interstate 70 in Lakewood, Denver, as part of his job at Castellano 03 Trucking LL, a trucking company based in Houston.
The truck, loaded with lumber, suddenly lost its brakes while the driver was coming downhill on the busy highway and crashed into dozens of other vehicles. The incident caused a pileup of 24 cars and four semi-trailers and resulted in a massive fireball explosion that killed four people.
Following the incident, the highway was shut down for nearly 24 hours. Officials reported that it took several hours to pull the dead bodies from the wreckage. The victims were later identified as Miguel Angel Lamas Arrellano (24), Doyle Harrison (61), William Bailey (67) and Stanley Politano (69).
Lakewood Police spokesman Ty Countryman deemed the crash “one of the worst accidents” in Lakewood. Prosecutors mentioned that Rogel Aguilera-Mederos was neither drunk nor under the influence during the accident.
However, he reportedly failed to use several runaway ramps along the way that are designed to help vehicles struggling with brakes.
A look into the Rogel Aguilera-Mederos hearing
In October 2021, nearly two years after his fatal truck accident, Rogel Aguilera-Mederos was found guilty of 27 charges, including “four counts of vehicular homicide, six counts of first-degree assault, 10 counts of attempt to commit assault in the first degree–extreme indifference, two counts of vehicular assault-reckless, one count of reckless driving, and four counts of careless driving causing death.”
During the latest hearing, Rogel mentioned that he was a Cuban immigrant who came to the US to give a good life to his family and he was not a criminal:
"I am not a criminal. I am not a murderer. I am not a killer. When I look at my charges, we are talking about a murderer, which is not me. I have never thought about hurting anybody in my entire life."
In an emotional plea, the driver took responsibility for his actions and told the judge that he wished he was dead instead of the victims:
“I know that it has been hard and heartbreaking for everyone involved in this tragedy. Your honour I don’t know why I’m alive. Like for what? I ask God too many times why them and not me? Why did I survive that accident?”
Rogel Aguilera-Mederos also apologized for the crash and the loss of lives:
"I want to say sorry. Sorry for the loss, for the people injured. I know they have trauma, I know, I feel that. But please, don’t be angry with me. I was working hard for a better future for my family. I have never thought about hurting anybody in my entire life."
However, the 26-year-old was sentenced to 110 years in prison as per Colorado’s mandatory sentencing laws in relation to “crimes of violence.” Colorado District Court Judge Bruce Jones said the verdict would not have been at his “discretion” if it was his sentence, but the rules bound him.
What is mentioned in the Rogel Aguilera-Mederos petition?
The December 13 verdict sentenced truck driver Rogel Aguilera-Mederos to 110 years. Following the sentencing, thousands of people joined hands to request that Colorado Governor Jared Polis grant clemency to the defendant.
Heather Gilbee launched an online petition titled “offer commutation as time served, or grant clemency to Rogel Lazaro Aguilera-Mederos,” claiming the incident was not “intentional” and asking the court to hold the vehicle company accountable for the crash:
“This accident was not intentional, nor was it a criminal act on the drivers part. No one but the trucking company he [Rogel Aguilera-Mederos] is/was employed by should be held accountable for this accident. No, we are not trying to make it seem any less of a tragic accident that it is because yes, lives were lost. We are trying to hold the person who needs to be held responsible, responsible.”
The petition also mentioned that Castellano 03 Trucking LL Company has had several inspections related to mechanical violations since 2017:
“Rogel is not a criminal, the company he was working for knew the federal laws that go into truck driving but they failed to follow those laws.”
The campaign also highlighted that Rogel took responsibility for his actions, apologized to the affected families and co-operated with authorities throughout the investigation and hearing. The petition received immense support from people across the globe and gained more than 4.5 million signatures.
