RIVERSIDE, CALIF.
An Arizona man who parked his tractor trailer in the right lane of a road and turned off the light was charged today in federal court with involuntary manslaughter for his role in a fatal crash that killed one person and injured seven people, according to officials.
Steven Kilty, 49, of Apache Junction, Arizona, was named in a single-count indictment that charges him with involuntary manslaughter, a felony offense that carries a penalty of up to eight years in federal prison.
Kilty was parked on a highway on the Fort Irwin Army Base in the Mojave Desert when the bus slammed into it , officials said.
On the evening of June 2, 2014, Kilty was delivering equipment to the Army’s National Training Center at Fort Irwin. Kilty arrived at the base the night before his scheduled delivery, and he parked his tractor-trailer in the right lane of road on Fort Irwin property, according to investigators, who determined that Kilty turned off the lights on the truck and failed to place any warning devices or reflectors near his truck.
At approximately 5:00 a.m. on June 3, prior to sunrise, a commuter bus bringing people to Fort Irwin collided with the parked truck. As a result of the collision, one man was killed and seven people suffered major injuries, according to authorities.
The indictment alleges that Kilty was illegally blocking traffic on the roadway and that he failed to place any warning reflectors, both of which are violations of the California Vehicle Code. This “grossly negligent” operation of the truck “imperiled the lives of others,” according to the indictment.
“Commercial truck drivers are professionals who have a heightened obligation to operate their vehicles in a safe and responsible manner,” said U.S. Attorney Eileen M. Decker. “The tragedy that resulted of Mr. Kilty’s negligent conduct was entirely avoidable.”
Kilty will make a court appearance in the coming weeks, according to officials.
The California Highway Patrol, the U.S. Army Criminal Investigation Command, and the Fort Irwin Police Department investigated this case.