A trucker who was convicted of driving while fatigued and violating safety laws in connection with a fatal, fiery crash on Interstate 88 near Aurora in 2014 was sentenced to three years in prison Monday.
Renato Velasquez, 48, was found guilty of three out of four felonies brought against him during a bench trial in February after he crashed on the interstate, killing a tollway worker and injuring a state trooper who had pulled over on the side of the highway to help a stranded semi.
Velasquez was found guilty of failing to avoid a stationary emergency vehicle, driving more than 14 hours after a 10-hour rest period and driving while impaired by fatigue. He was not convicted on multiple counts of falsifying his log book after a judge threw out the charge, ruling the state could not prove he did it in Illinois.
Prosecutors said state tollway worker Vincent Petrella and Illinois State Trooper Douglas Balder were pulled over with their emergency lights flashing to help a stranded semi when Velasquez slammed into them. Petrella was killed and Balder was badly injured.
Velasquez, who was behind the wheel of a tractor trailer near Eola Road in west suburban Aurora, admitted he dozed off, according to prosecutors. They also allege he had worked 37 hours straight on just 3.5 hours of rest but lied about it in order to pick up more jobs.
"Simply put, Mr. Velasquez's decision to get behind the wheel of his truck while fatigued cost Vincent Petrella his life and severely injured Trooper Balder," DuPage County State's Attorney Robert Berlin said. "Had Mr. Velasquez gotten the proper amount of rest before driving, Mr. Petrella would be alive today and Trooper Balder would not be looking at a life of pain and suffering."
Velasquez, who has been out on bond since the crash, is required to serve at least 50 percent of his sentence before being eligible for parole, according to officials.
