Personal Injury Law

Trucker Found Guilty in Illinois Negligent Homicide Trial

By Michael Jeffcoat, Esq.

A McHenry County, Illinois judge has found Vincente Zepeda guilty of eight counts of negligent homicide and one felony count of failure to inspect his vehicle. The charges stemmed from an October, 2007, incident in which the defendant slammed his 35-ton tractor trailer into the rear of a tour bus near a toll plaza on Interstate 90. The collision caused a chain-reaction crash involving five vehicles in which fifteen others were injured. All eight fatalities were passengers on the tour bus and part of the same women?s cultural group returning home from an outing. The defendant waived his right to a jury, preferring to have a judge hear the evidence in the case. Investigators testified that he failed to notice that his truck?s rear axle brakes were not working and he was travelling 60 m.p.h. in a 45 m.p.h. construction zone at the time of the incident. The judge rejected Zepeda?s testimony that he was travelling slower than investigators reported and that he did everything he could to avoid the collision. Zepeda will lose his driver?s license and face up to five years in prison. Zepeda?s attorney reportedly plans to appeal the decision.

Thanks to ChicagoTribune.com and the Northwest Herald for their reporting.

Full post as published by Truck Accident Lawyer Blog on December 04, 2007 (boomark / email).