Talk:2019 Lakewood semi-truck crash

A fact from 2019 Lakewood semi-truck crash appeared on Wikipedia's Main Page in the Did you know column on 26 January 2022 (check views). The text of the entry was as follows:

Did you know... that the driver in a 2019 truck crash received a sentence of 110 years in prison due to mandatory sentencing laws in Colorado?

A record of the entry may be seen at Wikipedia:Recent additions/2022/January. The nomination discussion and review may be seen at Template:Did you know nominations/2019 Lakewood semi-truck crash.

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Did you know nomination

The following is an archived discussion of the DYK nomination of the article below. Please do not modify this page. Subsequent comments should be made on the appropriate discussion page (such as this nomination's talk page, the article's talk page or Wikipedia talk:Did you know), unless there is consensus to re-open the discussion at this page. No further edits should be made to this page.

The result was: promoted by SL93 (talk) 18:24, 22 January 2022 (UTC)[reply]

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Article history

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... that the driver in a 2019 truck crash received a sentence of 110 years in prison due to mandatory sentencing laws in Colorado? Source: NBC News
- ALT1: that the driver in a 2019 truck crash received a sentence of 110 years in prison due to mandatory sentencing laws in Colorado, which was later commuted to ten years by governor Jared Polis? Source: ABC News
- Reviewed: Template:Did you know nominations/Denise Jones Ennett
- Comment: Not sure what the best hook would be here, depends on what aspect it makes sense to emphasize about the incident (the trial and sentence has received a lot of public attention recently).

Created by Chibears85 (talk), moved to mainspace by Elli (talk), and further expanded by Doug Grinbergs (talk). Nominated by Elli (talk) at 04:48, 20 December 2021 (UTC).[reply]

It took me some searching to find that it was created in AFC January 2021, and finally moved to main on December 19, 2021 - so it is new enough. The hook is interesting and made me want to investigate. The hook is also supported by the NBC reference. The items that appear as copyright violations are direct quotes which are properly attributed - the article is fully referenced. At 6000+ characters the article is long enough. Bruxton (talk) 18:43, 21 December 2021 (UTC)[reply]
- Also the QPQ is completed. Bruxton (talk) 18:44, 21 December 2021 (UTC)[reply]
  - a new paragraph was added with[out] sourcing; it'll need to be properly sourced before promotion. (i wouldn't say no to toning it down, either) theleekycauldron (talk • contribs) (they/she) 09:23, 4 January 2022 (UTC)[reply]
    - Just to clarify where this stands: the first paragraph under "subsequent events" is not sourced and needs to be; also, will the resentencing mentioned take place at all given the commutation mentioned in the paragraph below it? The article should be brought up to date and sourced appropriately before it can be approved again. You might want to consider a new hook that gives the 110-year sentence and the governor's commutation to 10 years. BlueMoonset (talk) 06:22, 13 January 2022 (UTC)[reply]
      - @Theleekycauldron and BlueMoonset: I've updated the article and added ALT1 -- not sure about the wording on the hook but it contains the relevant information. Elli (talk | contribs) 06:49, 13 January 2022 (UTC)[reply]
        New paragraph is now sourced; I like ALT0 better—this seems like one of those cases where it's acceptable to not tell the whole story. theleekycauldron (talk • contribs) (they/she) 03:43, 14 January 2022 (UTC)[reply]
        theleekycauldron, as you were the person who placed the new "?" icon above, it's up to you to restore the approval tick if you believe the issues you were concerned about have been addressed. Or let Elli know what else needs to be done. (I agree that, upon reading ALT1, using ALT0 is preferable.) BlueMoonset (talk) 15:49, 19 January 2022 (UTC)[reply]
        yep, we're good to go with ALT0—sorry about that! theleekycauldron (talk • contribs) (they/she) 22:10, 19 January 2022 (UTC)[reply]

Missing information

Crucially important information that should be covered in the current version of this article, but isn't:

Did the trucking company cut corners regarding brake maintenance? Was the lack of such proper maintenance among the violations it had previously been cited for? If the brakes had been regularly inspected and properly maintained, would there have been such a catastrophic malfunction? Did this issue come up in Aguilera-Mederos's trial, and does the trucking company bear any responsibility for the deaths and injuries caused? Source

Insert it as you have a source but you need to be careful with wording, the source you've listed gives very circumstantial evidence. Rcx161 (talk) 12:07, 31 December 2021 (UTC)[reply]

Was Aguilera-Mederos aware that there was a problem with his brakes and did he know that they were smoking long before the fatal crash, stop and inspect his truck, then decide to get back in and proceed down the mountain rather than stay stopped and call for help/maintenance, knowing he was going to be proceeding down a steep incline where good brakes are needed? I can hardly believe that this information, which is found in virtually all news coverage about this incident, isn't even addressed in the current version of this Wikipedia article. 173.88.246.138 (talk) 17:12, 27 December 2021 (UTC)[reply]

Yes, I agree that some of this should be included: please add it but simply stating what the sources said, and then adding the citation.Aussiewikilady (talk) 11:24, 31 December 2021 (UTC)[reply]

More missing information

Valerie Robertson Young (a survivor of the crash caused by Aguilera-Mederos) was just a guest on CNN on December 27, 2021, and said two things that do not seem to be addressed in the current version of this article:

She witnessed Aguilera-Mederos trying to flee from the scene of the crash; witnesses prevented him from leaving the scene
Aguilera-Mederos stated that he chose to hit the cars rather than the bridge or stopped truck because he believed that would afford him the best chance of survival

173.88.246.138 (talk) 00:38, 28 December 2021 (UTC)[reply]

Yes, I also agree that some of this should be included: please add it but simply stating what the sources said, and then adding the citation.Aussiewikilady (talk) 11:24, 31 December 2021 (UTC)[reply]

Truck stuck in neutral?

According to several news articles, the truck Aguilera-Mederos was driving was stuck in neutral, and, according to one witness who gave testimony in the trial, there was nothing wrong with the brakes. Why is such basic information being left out of this article, and similar comments above being ignored? 173.88.246.138 (talk) 10:35, 31 December 2021 (UTC)[reply]

Yes, I also agree that some of this should be included: please add it but simply stating what the sources said, and then adding the citation.Aussiewikilady (talk) 11:24, 31 December 2021 (UTC)[reply]

The words "something wrong with the brakes" could refer to two things: (a) brakes that were defective prior to the incident, or (b) brakes that became inoperative due to overheating. Brake pads and drums on trucks are effective only when the contact surfaces are relatively cool. When they become extremely hot (due to friction) the molecules move farther apart until eventually there is no longer any "adhesive" effect between the two surfaces. In truck driver jargon, that is called "losing your brakes." 2600:8801:BE01:2500:804E:5C:BF9D:FAE0 (talk) 19:17, 11 January 2024 (UTC)[reply]