Charges reduced to misdemeanors for CMV driver in fatal Colo. crash

A truck driver involved in a recent Colorado wreck that left a fellow driver dead had his charges reduced to misdemeanors in court on Tuesday. 

47-year-old Ignacio Cruz-Mendoza lost control of his commercial vehicle on June 11th, resulting in the death of an off-duty truck driver. Cruz-Mendoza claimed his brakes failed, but officers found skid-marks at the scene indicating that his brakes were at least partially functional. He was initially charged with vehicular homicide, vehicular assault, reckless driving, and driving a commercial vehicle with no CDL.

At his court appearance on Tuesday, June 18th, Cruz-Mendoza The district attorney’s office in Jefferson County, Colorado filed only four misdemeanor charges against the commercial vehicle driver: one count of careless driving resulting in death, and three counts of careless driving resulting in injury, reported 9 News.

The district attorney’s office says that it is not currently seeking more serious charges based on the evidence they currently have. It is possible that prosecutors could file more charges once the Colorado State Patrol finishes its investigation of the accident. 

Mexican-National Cruz-Mendoza has been forcibly or voluntarily removed from the US and sent back to Mexico at least 16 times since 2002. He is currently in Jefferson County Jail, where he is listed as “white,” and is awaiting arraignment on July 31st. The company he was working for at the time of the crash also has a history of multiple violations.