Aug 22, 2007 9:17 pm US/Pacific
Trucker 'At Fault' In Crash That Killed 3 Siblings
SANTA ANA, Calif. (CBS) ―
-
-
Kyle, Emma and Katie Coble.
Coble Family
Manslaughter charges were recommended against a trucker whose big-rig rear-ended a stopped minivan on the San Diego (5) Freeway, killing three children.
Jorge Romero, 37, of Apple Valley, was "determined to be at fault" for the May 4 crash that killed 5-year-old Kyle Coble and his sisters, Emma, 4, and Katie, 2, said California Highway Patrol spokesman Chris Goodwin.
Romero, who no longer works for the trucking firm KW International, a freight-hauling company based in Carson, was traveling at an "unsafe speed" for the freeway conditions, which included slow traffic ahead, the CHP investigation concluded.
Goodwin declined to elaborate on the speed the truck was traveling. But officers said at the time of the accident that Romero was traveling 55-60 mph and could not stop in time to avoid the minivan.
Drug and alcohol use was not a factor, officers said earlier.
Prosecutors are weighing whether to file a criminal case, and, if so, whether the charges would be felonies or misdemeanors, Goodwin said.
Farrah Emami of the Orange County District Attorney's Office confirmed that prosecutors received the report on Friday and are reviewing it.
She declined to say what factors might lead to either felony or misdemeanor charges.
The children were strapped into car seats in the rear of the family minivan, which was stopped in southbound traffic, north of Oso Parkway, in Mission Viejo.
Lori Coble, the children's mother and driver of the minivan, suffered major injuries in the crash. Her mother, Cynthia Gene Maestri, 60, of Coto de Caza, was also injured.
The minivan was pushed into a Chevrolet Suburban, whose driver suffered minor injuries.
Romero was not hurt in the crash.
According to published reports, Romero was cited in 2002 and 2006 for speeding in a tractor-trailer and was ticketed for driving without his lights on 2005 and for driving with a suspended license in 1997.
The driver had been hauling electronics. A man who answered the telephone at KW International said Romero no longer works for the company. He declined further comment and referred calls to a KW spokesman.
The CHP's report also included a segment on the company and whether it was operating in compliance of California law, but the CHP officer who handled that part of the report could not be reached for immediate comment.
The children's deaths galvanized residents of close-knit Ladera Ranch and touched many others who followed the news reports, leading to an outpouring of sympathy for a couple who had doted on their three young children and were left grief-stricken.
(© 2007 CBS Broadcasting Inc. All Rights Reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed. The Associated Press contributed to this report.)
SLIDESHOW: Community Embraces Family Stunned By Crash
Click to enlarge
Stumble It!
