For a country that prides itself on both compassion and justice when it comes to criminality, there are times when it seems that our nation has neither.
Case in point: A young Houston-based truck driver is about to go to prison for the rest of his life -- or 110 years, whichever comes first -- after a fiery crash he caused by accident on I-70 in Colorado in 2019 killed four people and injured several others.
"Rogel Lazaro Aguilera-Mederos, 23 has nothing on his driving record, or on his criminal history. He had complied with every single request by the Jefferson County courts, and investigators on the case. Hes [sic] passed all of the drug and alcohol tests that were given including a chemical test. This accident was not intentional, nor was it a criminal act on the drivers [sic] part," a petition on Change.org with more than 4.5 million signatures reads.
Aguilera-Mederos was handed the insane sentence last week after he was found guilty on all 27 counts, Fox News reported. But that's because Colorado District Court Judge A. Bruce Jones, who handed down the sentence, said his hands were tied by state minimum sentencing mandates.
Mederos, 23 at the time, "was driving his rig along Interstate 70 near Lakewood, Colo., on April 25, 2019, when he collided with around two dozen vehicles including four other tractor-trailers that had slowed to a crawl in rush-hour traffic. The crash caused a massive fireball that consumed several cars and trucks," American Wire reported. After the crash, investigators said that he lost control of the 18-wheeler he was driving after its brakes failed on the interstate near Denver. He then failed to take runaway truck ramps and his speed had risen to around 85 miles per hour when he slammed into cars that were parked on the highway.
During his trial, prosecutors argued that he could have taken one of several runaway truck ramps before he crashed into the vehicles but he instead made a "bunch of bad decisions," according to The Denver Channel.
"I am not a criminal," he said at his sentencing while shedding tears. "I am not a murderer. I am not a killer. When I look at my charges, we are talking about a murderer, which is not me. I have never thought about hurting anybody in my entire life."
Since Aguilera-Mederos' sentencing, videos that went viral on TikTok appear to show long lines of tractor-trailer rigs allegedly engaging in a boycott of the state of Colorado.
“They just offered me $5 the mile to go to Colorado. You know what I told them?…No trucks to Colorado. Let’s show the entire country what us truckers can do when we stand together,” one purported driver with the username @semi__crazy posted.
@secretloser23#justiceforrogelaguilera-mederos #notrucksincolorado? original sound - 20manuginobili
"This truck is no longer going to Colorado. We want justice for Rogel Aguilera. Truckers, he needs our help," user @ntgi2020 posted.
That said, an official with the Colorado Motor Carriers Association noted on Friday the organization was not aware of any serious boycott.
“I’m not seeing really anything that’s showing up of that boycott in terms of companies missing shipments or other things like that,” Greg Fulton, president of the Colorado Motor Carriers Association, said.
He went on to say that while he understands the sentiments for Aguilera-Medero, describing the crash as a mechanical failure, which was his defense, is not correct.
“I think in our eyes is inexperience, a lack of familiarity with the driver of the mountains…I don’t think the company should have put them in this situation,” Fulton said.
Nevertheless, and while the loss of life is tragic, nothing noted during his trial suggested he intentionally killed anyone or that he was purposefully negligent -- and yet this working man is going to prison for the rest of his natural life.
Meanwhile, Washington's criminals like Hillary Clinton and James Comey, whose careers were built on harming our country, remain free.
Justice, anyone?
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