Over 3 Million Sign Petition For Truck Driver Who Was Sentenced To 110 Years In Prison

More than three million people have signed a petition to appeal the 110-year jail sentence given to a truck diver who stated he lost control of his brakes in a crash that took the life of four people in Colorado.

Rogel Aguilera-Mederos, 26, was sentenced to 110 years after the fatal crash. Truck drivers across Colorado have started protecting and not driving their trucks until his sentence can change. “He’s 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 driver’s part,” the petition reads. “We are trying to hold the person who needs to be held responsible, responsible.”

Aguilera-Mederos shared the brakes on his semitrailer gave out on April 25, 2019, as he drove on a downhill road on I-70 west of Denver. As an outcome, he wrecked into cars that were stopped because of another collision.

“We are aware of this issue, the Governor and his team review each clemency application individually,” Colorado Gov. Jared Polis’ office said in a statement

“This is a grossly excessive sentence,” said Mark Silverstein, legal director for the ACLU. “It cries out for the reform of sentencing laws. But I think calls for change also need to be directed at the seldom-criticized but largely unchecked power of prosecutors. They have the power to decide who goes to prison and for how long. Prosecutors decide on the charges to file, and they decide what plea bargains to offer.”

The judge stated she had no authority to set a lesser prison sentence, but wish she could.