GOODYEAR, AZ — A pickup truck driver accused of hitting a group of cyclists on the Goodyear Cotton Lane Bridge in February 2023 is now facing 11 misdemeanor charges of causing serious physical injury or death by a moving violation.
On the morning of Saturday, February 25, 2023, Goodyear police said Pedro Quintana-Lujan, who is now 27, drove his pickup truck into 20 cyclists on the Cotton Lane Bridge just south of MC85.
The group, West Valley Cycling, was on its routine Saturday ride when they were hit. Two people died in the crash, David Kero and Karen Malisa. A majority of the others were injured. Some of the victims in the crash are still recovering from their injuries.
Quintana-Lujan told police his steering wheel locked up when the crash happened. However, a recently released National Transportation Safety Board report showed that the truck’s steering worked just fine when it was inspected by two different inspectors.
Goodyear City Prosecutor Justin Atkinson confirmed with ABC15 on Wednesday that his office filed the charges against Quintana-Lujan in late February, just days after the first anniversary of the crash.
Atkinson said in the last few days, Quintana-Lujan’s attorney pleaded not guilty on all charges on his behalf.
Quintana-Lujan will not be facing any felony charges. In November, the Maricopa County Attorney’s Office announced it declined to prosecute citing lack of evidence. While records show Quintana-Lujan had THC in his system, also telling police he smoked the night before, MCAO said Arizona law doesn’t have a standard for proving impairment by THC only.
Quintana-Lujan was released from jail shortly after the crash, and Atkinson told ABC15 he would not be arrested in this case unless he is found guilty by the court as these are misdemeanor charges.
Atkinson said if Quintana-Lujan is found guilty after going through the court process, he can face a minimum mandatory fine of $1,000. The max he could face may include up to six months in jail, up to three years of unsupervised probation and up to $2,500 in fines. It would be up to the judge and the court process could take quite some time.
Quintana-Lujan’s next court date is slated for April 10.
David Herzog, the leader of West Valley Cycling sent ABC15 a statement following the news of misdemeanor charges being filed:
“For the last 13 months since this tragic crash, WVC has been very thankful for the Goodyear Police and Prosecutors for their continued efforts to bring this case to resolution. It does sadden us that our County Attorney office led by Rachel Mitchell has failed to protect the lives of cyclist and enforce accountability towards the driver of this crash that took two lives and injured 18. Despite the handicap the County Attorney’s office has given to the Goodyear Prosecutors office with limit offenses to judge against, we are hopeful Goodyear will seek maximum sentencing allowed.”
