[ad_1]
The semitrailer struck about 28 cars and trucks along Interstate 70 Thursday near Denver, killing at least four people and injuring several others, police said.
Aguilera-Mederos, 23, is incarcerated for four homicides related to the accident. He briefly appeared in court on Saturday and a judge ordered that his bail be set at $ 400,000. The formal charges have not yet been filed, pending the outcome of the investigation.
Investigators say that Aguilera-Mederos told them that he was driving at 85 mph when the brakes broke. He tried to put himself on the shoulder to avoid traffic jams, but another semi stopped there, an affidavit of arrest shows.
"Rogel said that he thought he was going to die, so he closed his eyes before getting into the traffic," the document says.
A witness told the police that before the crash, he noticed that something was wrong when he saw Aguilera-Mederos "with wide eyes" and "with a terrified look," says L & # 39; 39; affidavit.
After Saturday's hearing, Robert Corry, a lawyer representing Aguilera-Mederos, said his client was "in deep sorrow" and was cooperating with the police.
"We can not stress enough the grief he feels for this absolutely tragic accident," said Corry. "Everybody agrees that it was an accident." The law enforcement authorities agree that it is safe to say that it is an accident. 39, was an accident.Everyone who investigated or examined it thinks it is an accident and it is tragic.
The authorities had stated that there was no evidence of drugs or alcohol in the accident.
Ty Countryman, an officer with the Lakewood Police Department, said the investigators were looking into whether there were mechanical problems with the truck, but that he thought the manslaughter charges would still remain valid if a mechanical problem was confirmed.
Aguilera-Mederos has a Texas commercial driver's license. The suspect's brother, Daniel Aguilera, testified that Rogel was Cuban and resided permanently in the United States.
"Surprise and shocked"
People crawled out of vehicles and took out those trapped while flames fired at the wreckage surrounded by piles of wood.
Four people died in a car bomb and their remains were ignored, according to court documents. Authorities did not reveal their names.
Josh McCutcheon, who watched the crash of the video, told CNN's sister channel, HLN, that he had never seen such devastation. He's fine now, he said, but he was "surprised and shocked" at the deadly pileup, explosions, and plumes of smoke.
"Oh, my God," he shouted when it happened.
McCutcheon praised a "good Samaritan" for firing people from cars.
"He's a real hero," he said of the man struggling in the area.
"It just caught fire, and I just dropped my poster, I started running," Barton said. "As soon as I saw the flames, I headed under the bridge, caught three or four people in a few cars."
Mr. Countryman stated that he did not know what was in the semifinal, with the exception of the one that seemed to be carrying wood.
"It seems like one of the worst accidents we've had in Lakewood," he said.
The Denver West Parkway Bridge over the I-70 suffered extensive structural damage due to the fire, authorities said.
Lakewood is about 10 miles from Denver.
[ad_2]
Source link