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A high-speed semitrailer whose driver was described by a witness as "googly-eyed" and "terrified" passed a truck ramp before rushing into other vehicles on a crowded highway. near Denver, killing four people and injuring at least six, according to court documents released on Saturday.
Rogel Lazaro Aguilera-Mederos, a 23-year-old truck driver from Houston, appeared for the first time in court on Saturday after being arrested for intentional homicide.
Judge Chris Zenisek of the state district has set the driver's deposit at $ 400,000. Aguilera-Mederos, who was slightly injured in the accident, did not speak during the hearing. He was represented by Denver's lawyer, Robert Corry, who could not be contacted for comment later.
Assistant Attorney Kate Knowles had recommended a $ 500,000 bail, citing the status of holder of the Aguilera-Mederos green card from Cuba, with no connection to Colorado and the seriousness of the wreckage.
His next hearing is scheduled for May 3, when prosecutors are expected to lay charges against Aguilera-Mederos, still incarcerated in Jefferson County Jail.
The accident occurred Thursday on Interstate 70, where the highway descends from the Rocky Mountains, and involved 28 vehicles.
According to the affidavit relating to his arrest in the case, Aguilera-Mederos told investigators that the brakes on his truck carrying timber were failing and that he had noticed that his truck was traveling at 85 mph before the accident.
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However, other motorists told police that the truck seemed to travel faster, a witness estimating that it could reach 160 km / h (100 mph).
In addition, two witnesses in another truck reported seeing liquid from the back of the truck trailer driven by Aguilera-Mederos.
According to the affidavit, the Aguilera-Mederos truck passed a sign informing drivers that the ramp was crazy, which allows vehicles in difficulty to brake to stop safely at 609, 6 meters (2,000 feet) in advance and follow a "free and clear path" ramp but instead deviated from the ramp, which is on the side of the road.
A speed limit sign on this stretch of road limited commercial vehicles to 45 mph.
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Aguilera-Mederos told the police that he had tried to operate the emergency brakes without success and that just before his truck collided with another stopped vehicle, he was thinking that he was going to die, so he "closed his eyes," says the affidavit.
A driver whose vehicle was overtaken by the truck said he saw that "the driver of the semi-trailer had wide eyes" with a terrified look on his face.
After the collision, he got out of the truck as the fire began to engulf the scene of the accident, triggering explosions and a fire so intense that it melted the roadway and metal cars.
The Interstate was closed for nearly 24 hours before reopening completely Friday night.
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