A pickup truck driver is facing multiple charges in connection with a crash that killed two and injured several others in Carson City, Nevada, on Tuesday.
The crash happened on Tuesday afternoon as Roney Rolando Gonzalez-Otazo drove a Ford F-350 towing a large boat on a trailer on eastbound US-50.
The pickup truck ran through the intersection at South Carson Street, crashing into a southbound vehicle. The pickup struck several other vehicles before coming to a stop.
The Nevada Highway Patrol (NHP) said that the crash ultimately involved eight vehicles and two trailers.
The boat that Gonzalez-Otazo was hauling became detached and continued traveling east for a quarter of a mile.
Two people died as a result of the crash. Nine other people were injured. Three of those people were listed in critical condition but are expected to survive.
NHP trooper Charles Caster told the Reno Gazette Journal that brake failure is the suspected cause of the fatal crash.
“It was overweight. This boat was a five-axle trailer that weighed about 38,000 pounds and there was no reason for this trailer to be on the road. It wasn’t able to stop and we’re suspecting brake failure leading to him going through that intersection and tragically killing two people,” Caster said.
Gonzalez-Otazo was arrested and faces a long list of charges, including:
- Felony reckless driving
- No valid driver’s license
- Unsafe vehicle
- Obstruction of justice
- Failure to obey traffic light
- Fail to obey traffic device
- No record of duty status
- Motor carrier permit required
- No medical certificate
- Operating a CMV without a CDL
- Driver must be able to understand traffic signals
- No fuel tax permit
- IRO apportioned tag/reg violation
- No USDOT/carrier name displayed
- Inoperative/defective Brakes
- Inspection repair and maintenance (2 counts)
- Wheel fasteners loose and missing (2 counts)
- Required brakes missing on trailer
- Loose or unfastened tiedown
- Damaged vehicle structures and pressure points
The crash remains under investigation.