PHOENIX (AP) — A driver involved in a tragic collision with a group of bicyclists in suburban Phoenix, which resulted in the deaths of two individuals and left several others injured, received a jail sentence of one year on Thursday.
Pedro Quintana-Lujan admitted guilt to two charges of causing death by a moving vehicle and ten charges associated with causing serious injury by a moving vehicle. All these charges are classified as misdemeanors, originating from the incident on February 25, 2023. Despite requests for remarks, his lawyer, Jason Karpel, was unavailable, and city prosecutors have chosen not to provide any comments.
Quintana-Lujan was behind the wheel of a pickup truck towing a trailer along a busy highway when he collided with a group of cyclists on the Cotton Lane Bridge in Goodyear, roughly 19 miles (30 kilometers) west of Phoenix. The crash claimed the lives of Karen Malisa, 61, from Goodyear, Arizona, and David Kero, 65, who was visiting from Michigan.
Nearly everyone in the 20-person cycling group was injured.
Remaining at the site of the accident, Quintana-Lujan was found by prosecutors to have neither been speeding nor under the influence of alcohol. He informed investigators of his marijuana use the evening before, and tests indicated a minimal presence of THC, the psychoactive element in cannabis, in his system.
The police released a charging document where Quintana-Lujan explained to officers that while driving in the left of two northbound lanes, his steering mechanism locked, causing him to veer into the unoccupied right lane and subsequently into the neighboring bike lane, where he heard “a noise reminiscent of metal.”
Upon reconstructing the incident, it was discovered that upon entering the bike lane, Quintana-Lujan also collided with the concrete barrier dividing the road from the sidewalk, leaving black tire marks partway up the wall and hitting multiple cyclists.
Quintana-Lujan’s jail sentence will be followed by three years of probation. His driver’s license also will be suspended for 180 days, and he was ordered to complete 60 hours of community service and pay a $2,500 fine.
