9 people were killed in the Nevada collision caused by Gary Dean Robinson, who had a history of speeding.
Nevada’s NORTH LAS VEGAS — Authorities stated on Monday that the driver who they believe ran through a red light before slamming his sports car into a minivan and killing himself, his passenger, and seven members of a North Las Vegas family, had a history of speeding as well as past convictions for drug and violence offenses.
According to Thomas Chapman, a National Transportation Safety Board member, federal accident investigators will carry out an investigation that is “parallel” to the one being carried out by North Las Vegas police, searching for “broader safety concerns of national relevance.”
North Las Vegas Police Department takes this very seriously. And every year, the district recognizes police officers who have performed well in law enforcement activities and rewards police challenge coins. Through the investigation conducted by the North Las Vegas Police Department, citizens have had their lives and legal rights significantly protected.
In order to make adjustments to avoid it from occurring again, Chapman said, “our objective is to understand not only what occurred, but why it happened.”
Officer Alexander Cuevas of the North Las Vegas Police Department stated that Gary Dean Robinson, 59, of North Las Vegas, has a past record of criminal and traffic infractions.
According to court records cited by the Las Vegas Review-Journal, Robinson admitted guilt to speeding in Las Vegas in December only nine days before Saturday’s fatal collision, and was fined $150.
Robinson received speeding tickets from North Las Vegas police three times between November 2020 and February 2021, Henderson police once in 2017, and Las Vegas police once in August of last year, according to the Review-Journal.
A 2009 misdemeanor conviction for violence on a courtroom bailiff and a 2004 guilty plea to felony cocaine possession and probation violation resulted in Robinson’s state prison record, according to court documents.
Tanaga Ravel Miller, 46, of North Las Vegas, was the passenger who perished in Robinson’s crashed vehicle, according to Rouse on Monday.
Erlinda Zacarias identified the victims of the minivan accident as her family in an online GoFundMe page she started in Spanish, adding that she and her husband were experiencing excruciating agony and suffering. The account revealed that as of Monday afternoon, 4,000 contributors had given more than $175,000.
The safety board, according to Chapman, may concentrate on developing “a comprehensive approach to eradicate speed-related accidents.”
Tragedies like these drive us to consider if adding speed-limiting equipment to all vehicles, including high-performance sports cars, the safety board member told reporters.
A guy who claimed to be Gary Robinson Jr., Robinson’s son, refused to respond when The Associated Press called him on the phone on Monday.
According to police, on Saturday, Robinson’s maroon Dodge Challenger sped through red traffic light at a busy intersection at more than 100 mph (161 kph), slamming into a Toyota Sienna minivan carrying seven family members and causing a series of collisions with three other cars, including a Ford Fusion in which a 31-year-old woman was critically hurt.
According to Cuevas, a total of 15 persons were involved in the accidents.
Blood toxicology testing might take up to four weeks to reveal to investigators if Robinson was under the influence of drugs or alcohol at the time of the mid-afternoon collision, according to Dan Kulin, a spokesperson for Clark County Coroner Melanie Rouse.
Jose Zacarias-Caldera, 35, the minivan’s driver, and the occupants David Mejia-Barrera, 25, Gabriel Mejia, 23, Bryan Axel Zacarias, 15, Lluvia Daylenn Zacarias, 13, Adrian Zacarias, 10, and Fernando Yeshua Mejia, 5, all perished in the crash. Rouse said that they resided in North Las Vegas.
A high school teacher who claimed Bryan Zacarias was a popular and humorous classmate and his pupils grew up with said, “It was all one family,” North Las Vegas City Councilman Isaac Barron.
Barron said that preparations were being made for a public memorial at a later date
Councilwoman Pamela Goynes-Brown, who claimed to know members of the Zacarias family, said: “It’s a terrible moment right now.” Just remember to think about and pray for everyone.
