Trucking Accident Lawyer in Denver, CO
A trucking company that owned the semitrailer that was part of pileup that killed four people in Colorado had two trucks removed from service due to brake-related issues over the last year, including one just two months before the crash.
According to federal records, one of the five trucks from Castellano 03 Trucking inspected in March in Texas did not have proper brake hoses or tubing, a violation that meant the truck had to be pulled from service and repaired. Then, in August, another truck from the same company was removed from service because it had damage to the brake tubing or hose, per records from the Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration. Officials in Colorado have yet to publicly release the license number of the truck involved in the Colorado accident, so it’s not yet known if it was one of the trucks previously pulled from service.
In regard to the fiery pileup that took the lives of four people, truck driver Rogel Lazaro Aguilera Mederos, 23-years old, told the investigators that the brakes on the truck had failed.
Federal records indicate that the company had 30 driver and vehicle violations out of the 19 inspections carried out over the last two years. Other problems found related to brakes included three violations each for having an automatic airbrake adjustment system that failed to compensate for wear and for having a roto-chamber type or clamp brake that was out of adjustment. However, the two violations which involved brake hoses and tubing were the only ones that required the trucks be taken out of service until they were repaired. The out-of-service rate for Castellano 03 Trucking, per federal records, was just about the 20.7 percent national average.
Other violations from the company’s records included insufficient tire tread and a damaged securing system from loads. Driver violations included failure to understand English-language traffic signals and signs and drivers not stopping at traffic lights.
The crash in Colorado happened in April on Interstate 70, near Denver. The pileup involved multiple explosions and a total of 28 vehicles. Investigators believe the truck driver passed a sign that told drivers about a ramp ahead that allows vehicles to stop safety shortly before the crash, and that the truck had a clear path to that ramp but swerved the other way instead.
Driver Aguilera Mederos is currently in custody and scheduled to appear in court in the near future, where prosecutors will announce the charges against him. Currently, he is being held on suspicion of vehicular homicide. His attorney says the 23-year-old driver has fully cooperated with investigators and is horrified by the crash and its tragic results.
In the US, around 4,000 people are killed in truck-related crashes every year. Crashes in which a truck is unable to stop in enough time to avoid hitting stopped or slowed traffic are common.
A truck can cause incredible damage in an accident due to its sheer size and weight. If you have been involved in a truck accident, contact a trucking accident lawyer in Denver, CO about your case today.
Call Richard J. Banta, P.C. for their insight into personal injury claims and truck accidents.
