Driver of November's deadly intersection boat crash sentenced to 3-10 years in prison
On Thursday, Roney Rolando Gonzalez-Otazo, the man who pled guilty to two counts of reckless driving following a fatal crash in Nov. 2021 was sentenced to 18 - 60 months on each count to be served consecutively, resulting in a sentence of 3 to 10 years in prison.
"At the hearing the court considered the remarks of counsel, briefs and reports filed by the state and the defense, character letters provided by the defense, and numerous powerful, moving, and heartfelt victim impact statements," said Chief Deputy District Attorney Garrit S. Pruyt.
The crash happened in the intersection of I-580, Highway 50 and South Carson Street that left two dead and several injured after the brakes failed on the truck Gonzales-Otazo was using to haul a large boat, leading to the trailer continuing into the intersection and striking several vehicles.
Gonzales-Otazo, a resident of Hollywood, Fla. was arrested shortly after for reckless driving resulting in death, among other charges such as driving without a valid license, and was held on a $20,000 bail.
Eight vehicles total were involved in the crash, and four people were critically injured, with three having to be careflighted. In total, 11 people were injured from the crash. The deceased were a married Dayton couple, Tana Powell, 70, and Don Powell, 74.
Gonzales-Otazo had been hired to move the boat and did not own the 38,000 pound boat and trailer, or the Ford F-350 used to tow the boat.
Last month, Gonzales-Otazo pled guilty in a plea deal, which was for two counts of reckless driving causing death and substantial bodily harm.
The agreement stated that probation could not be sought.
The District Attorney’s office criminal report stated that Gonzales-Otazo was negligent by acting in willful or wanton disregard to the safety of persons or property by failing to ensure the safety of his load, failing to use proper transporting equipment, failing to obtain proper permitting and/or licensing, and failing to use oversized load safety precautions, among others.