Two cyclists were killed and 11 more people were seriously injured after a pickup truck crashed into a large group of cyclists in Arizona over the weekend. The truck driver, Pedro Quintana-Lujan was arrested at the scene. He was charged with manslaughter and aggravated assault charges. The crash happened on the Cotton Lane Bridge in Goodyear, about 28 miles west of Phoenix, said Goodyear Police.
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Who is Quintana-Lujan?
Quintana Lujan is 26 years old. He was booked on two counts of manslaughter, three counts of aggravated assault, 18 counts of endangerment, and two counts of causing serious injury or death by a moving violation.
He was held on a $250,000 bond and has a court date on March 3, according to Maricopa County jail records.
Goodyear police in a statement said, “The Goodyear Police department is deeply saddened by this tragedy and extends condolences to the loved ones of the victims as well as to the cycling community and the community as a whole.”
The victims were part of a large group of cycling enthusiasts riding along the bridge when they were struck, police said.
One woman was declared dead on the spot, and another cyclist died after being admitted to a local hospital.
Officers said one of the fatalities was a local resident and the other was a visitor from out of town. Others were seriously injured.
Quintana-Lujan remained at the scene after allegedly hitting the cyclists. It is unclear why the driver plowed into the riders.
“These are individuals that are finding a way to be healthy and to be out there with friends, and now there are people that aren’t coming home,” said John Hogen, vice president of the Rob Dollar Foundation.
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“Anytime this happens it’s a flashback. Our heart is going to those families because we know the pain they’re feeling,” he added. The group is named after a bike rider killed in 2017.
