Thread: Driver will face charges in fiery I-40 wreck, troopers say

Raleigh, N.C. — The driver of an SUV who investigators believe triggered Monday night's fiery, five-vehicle wreck on Interstate 40 will face criminal charges after he is released from the hospital, Trooper Beckley Vaughan of the highway patrol said.

Troopers investigating the wreck say Osmar Guillermo Perez Vicente, 28, caused it when he cut across multiple lanes to try to exit onto Wade Avenue.

Vicente was listed in serious condition at WakeMed Tuesday evening. Vaughan said that after Vicente is released from the hospital, he will face charges of careless and reckless driving and operating without a license.

Vaughan said troopers also intend to investigate whether Vicente is in the United States legally. Vicente does not speak English and told investigators, via a translator, that he has been in the U.S. looking for work for two years.

The wreck closed down I-40 in both directions Monday evening.

Witnesses said Vicente, driving an Isuzu SUV, swerved across lanes, clipping a tractor-trailer, which lost control and rolled into the treeline.

The Isuzu then came back into eastbound lanes and hit a minivan, tossing it into a garbage truck.

The driver of the garbage truck lost control of his vehicle, which crossed the center median and hit a Dodge Charger in the westbound lanes, troopers said. The garbage truck ran off the road and overturned, spilling refuse along the shoulder.

The truck caught fire and set the driver's clothes ablaze, and flames spread to the debris on the highway and into the adjoining woods.

The driver of the garbage truck, Robert Jay Leffer, 48, from Sanford, was taken to the Jaycees Burn Center at UNC Hospitals in Chapel Hill. He was listed in critical condition Tuesday afternoon with extensive burns.

The other people involved in the wreck had minor injures and were not hospitalized.

http://www.wral.com/traffic/story/4411535/

The driver of the garbage truck, Robert Jay Leffer, 48, from Sanford, was taken to the Jaycees Burn Center at UNC Hospitals in Chapel Hill. He was listed in critical condition Tuesday afternoon with extensive burns.

Another American citizen (and his family) who will have to live with the consequences of a country that refuses to protect it's citizens from the ravages of illegal immigration!

Is our government going to pick up the medical costs this guy is probably going to be facing for the rest of his life( if he survivies)!

What an absolute disgrace....

Vaughan said troopers also intend to investigate whether Vicente is in the United States legally. Vicente does not speak English and told investigators, via a translator, that he has been in the U.S. looking for work for two years.

Looking for work for 2 years, yet he can afford an SUV? What am I missing?

Originally Posted by miguelina

Vaughan said troopers also intend to investigate whether Vicente is in the United States legally. Vicente does not speak English and told investigators, via a translator, that he has been in the U.S. looking for work for two years.

Looking for work for 2 years, yet he can afford an SUV? What am I missing?

miguelina, you didn't miss a thing. I think most of us know the story behind the SUV. If authorities will probe a bit more, they may find he has a 300,000 dollar mortgage and multiple identities...among other things.

And still not a word from local tv that even gave his name .

Looking for work for 2 years, yet he can afford an SUV? What am I missing?
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Also the first thing that hit me. No work for 2 years but has a vehicle