Man Sentenced to 60 Days in Jail for Causing Fatal 2018 Crash
A judge has sentenced a Commerce City man to 60 days in jail for causing a deadly vehicle crash in 2018.
The incident occurred on October 21 of that year, when 24-year-old Victor Cervantes was driving on Weld County Road 35 in his semitrailer hauling asphalt.
He then pulled out into oncoming traffic while turning left onto Colorado 392, according to a press release from the Weld County District Attorney's Office.
Semi-truck driver Donald White was traveling east on Colorado 392, and collided with Cervantes. Officials took him to a nearby hospital, where he died of his injuries.
"I had the privilege of being married to that man for 23 years," said White's wife Joyce in Thursday's (March 12) sentencing hearing. "It wasn't a truck you hit. It was a life you took. My best friend was taken in the matter of seconds that I will never be able to get back."
White's son, Daniel White, added that his dad would never be able to see him get married or have children, stating that his life "is changed forever."
Facing a charge of Careless Driving Resulting in Death, Cervantes received a sentence of 60 days in the Weld County jail, 140 days of work-release and three years of supervised probation.
He must also attend a safe driving class, a class about making better choices, complete 150 hours of community service, and write apology letters to White's wife and son.
"As a semi driver, it was his job to drive safely and he failed," said Deputy District Attorney Trevor Pellerite in the press release. "He [Cervantes] will return home and his life will go on, but Donald White's life will not."