Driver charged with manslaughter in Memorial Day weekend collision
Driver charged with manslaughter in Memorial Day weekend collision Amie Cato-remer Fri, 10/07/2022 - 07:36
A box truck driver involved in a multi-vehicle accident on Interstate- 40 during Memorial Day weekend at Muldrow is now facing two felony counts of first-degree manslaughter in Sequoyah County District Court.
Ruben G. Quezada, 32, of Philadelphia, Pa. was charged Oct. 4 and an arrest warrant was issued for him the same day. Associate District Judge Kyle Waters has set his bail at $15,000.
Oklahoma Highway Patrol (OHP) Trooper Sheldon Dobbs reported troopers, Sequoyah County Sheriff‚s deputies, Muldrow Police and Pafford EMS responded to the accident that occurred at 3:29 p.m. on May 29 at mile marker 321. Dobbs said four vehicles were involved and two were pronounced deceased, Kymbirlee Mogelberg, 46, and Isaiah Sexton, 9, both of Sallisaw. Two others, Judy Sexton and James Barnard, both received bodily injuries as a result of the collision.
The trooper reported Quezada was driving a 2018 Hino box truck eastbound on I-40 when he departed the left side of the roadway and entered the grass median. The box truck traveled through a natural void in the cable barrier and struck a bride curb, causing the box truck to become airborne and begin to overturn. The box truck then collided with a 2020 Dodge Challenger driven by Judy Sexton, which was occupied by Mogelberg and Isaiah Sexton.
Dobbs said after the initial impact, the box truck collided with a 2021 Ford Expedition before colliding with the north edge of the bridge, continuing to overturn. The box truck then reportedly struck a 2019 Dodge Ram 1500 truck, which was driven by Barnard.
Both Mogelberg and Isaiah Sexton were pronounced deceased at the scene by EMS, while Judy Sexton was lifeflighted to Washington Regional Medical Hospital in Fayetteville, Ark. and admitted. Barnard was transported to Baptist Health Hospital in Fort Smith, Ark. where he was also reportedly admitted to the hospital for his injuries. The occupants of the Ford Expedition were not injured.
Quezada was interviewed at the scene where he told Dobbs he left Amarillo, Texas, and began driving around 8 a.m. He said he stopped somewhere in Oklahoma, between 11 a.m. and noon to get fuel and a drink. According to the trooper‚s report, Quezada said he had changed lanes to the left lane to pass another vehicle when he looked down at his phone GPS, which reportedly caused him to travel off the road and into the median. He said he couldn‚t recall anything after striking the bridge.
Quezada consented to a blood withdrawal, which was sent to the OSBI lab for testing, and then he was transported to Baptist Health Hospital for medical treatment.
Trooper Tony Perez interviewed Quezada at the hospital. Quezada told the trooper he didn‚t have any electronic logging device or records of hours of service for himself or the box truck, and also reportedly admitted to being stopped and cited recently in New York for not maintaining any log books or time keeping. According to the report, Quezada would not have met federal regulations for driving and non-driving time.
Toxicology results from Quezada‚s blood sample showed that he wasn‚t under the influence of any drugs or alcohol at the time of the collision.
District Attorney Jack Thorp said each charge of felony first-degree manslaughter is punishable by imprisonment for not less than four years, if found guilty.
