[3] On the afternoon of April 25, Rogel Lazaro Aguilera Mederos was driving a semi-trailer truck carrying lumber on eastbound Interstate 70.

Moments later, Aguilera Mederos's truck was seen speeding past a driver who was livestreaming while stopped at Colorado Mills Parkway (Exit 263).

[9] Within seconds of Aguilera Mederos's semi exploding, eastbound cars quickly drove over the median and into the Colorado Mills Parkway exit, causing immediate congestion.

[14] Mederos survived the crash with no injuries and was booked into the Jefferson County jail the following morning, arrested on various charges related to the incident.

[12] Since at least summer 2019, the Colorado Department of Transportation (CDOT) has been considering plans for an additional runaway truck ramp east (downhill) of the Mt.

[20] Aguilera Mederos's claim that his brakes failed to work could not be fully investigated due to the semi being completely destroyed in the flames.

[12] The company Aguilera Mederos was working for, Castellano 03 Trucking LLC, received 30 safety violations in the two years prior to the crash.

[27] In contrast, George Brauchler, who previously served as a district attorney for Colorado's 18th Judicial District, disagreed, stating that he has "little sympathy for someone who turns down a reasonable plea bargain offer, and then goes to trial and bemoans the fact that the worst thing that could happen to them happened" and that the sentence was reasonable given that Aguilera Mederos killed four people.

[27] As of December 17, 2021, almost five million people had signed a Change.org petition asking that either Aguilera Mederos sentence be commuted or he be granted clemency by Colorado governor Jared Polis.

[28] The harsh sentence led to an outcry from many in the Latino community, with the League of United Latin American Citizens (LULAC) becoming a leading voice of support for Aguilera Mederos.