Jul. 12—WILLMAR
— The Atwater man driving a West Central Sanitation truck involved in a fatal crash last summer was convicted of a single count of careless driving.
Rodolfo Gomez, 48, was sentenced to one year of probation and 90 days in jail related to the July 2022 crash in rural Raymond that resulted in the death of 56-year-old Nicolasa Bernabe-Lopez, of Willmar. Judge Stephen Wentzell also ordered Gomez pay more than $6,200 of restitution to Bernabe-Lopez’s surviving family member.
Gomez pleaded guilty Feb. 13 in Kandiyohi County District Court to misdemeanor careless driving. He was previously summoned to court in November 2022 and charged with three misdemeanor counts that also included failing to yield and using an electronic device while driving. Those two charges were dismissed in exchange for his plea to the careless driving charge.
According to court documents, Gomez began serving a 30-day sentence on May 5, 2023. The other 60 days will be stayed for one year. Conditions of probation include writing a letter of apology; having no similar charges in the year of probation; participation in victim dialogue and completing a distracted driver class.
According to the criminal complaint, Gomez was driving a West Central Sanitation truck and told investigators he was looking at a tablet to figure out where to turn when the crash occurred.
Gomez was driving northbound on 60th Street Southwest while Bernabe-Lopez was traveling westbound on 105th Avenue Northwest, when the two vehicles collided at the intersection the morning of July 26, 2022. According to the complaint, a yield sign on 60th Street controls traffic entering the intersection.
Gomez told investigators he was looking down at his tablet while approaching the intersection in order to determine where to turn because he was on a new route. He said he did not see a yield sign.
Toxicology reports on both Gomez and Bernabe-Lopez indicated that neither driver had alcohol or narcotics in their systems at the time of the accident, according to the complaint.
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