HIGHLANDS RANCH, Colo. — A driver accused of fatally striking a Highlands Ranch seventh-grader who was on his way to school pleaded guilty on Monday to careless driving resulting in death.
Alexander "Alex" Mackiewicz, 13, was riding a OneWheel (a single-wheel electric skateboard) just before 7 a.m. on March 6 when a driver struck and killed him as he was crossing the intersection of Venneford Ranch Road and Highlands Ranch Parkway.
The driver stayed on the scene after the crash, according to the Douglas County Sheriff’s Office (DCSO).
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The sheriff's office said the driver — identified as Ruben Morones, 53 — was traveling eastbound in the far-right lane on Highlands Ranch Parkway when he approached the intersection. At the time, the signal was red for eastbound traffic, according to the DCSO
Alex was traveling southbound in the crosswalk on Venneford Ranch Road, crossing Highlands Ranch Parkway. The walk signal was activated when the teen was crossing, the sheriff's office said.
According to DCSO, Morones ran the red light, striking Alex on the opposite side of the intersection. The vehicle came to a "controlled rest" after the impact east of the intersection. Alex was ejected off his Onewheel and came to rest against the curb line east of the intersection, the sheriff's office said.
Investigators do not believe that speeding was a factor, according to DCSO.
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Morones was arrested for careless driving causing death, careless driving causing serious bodily injury to a vulnerable road user and failure to obey a traffic control signal. He pleaded guilty on Monday to careless driving resulting in death. The other two charges — careless driving resulting in injury and failure to obey a traffic control signal — were dismissed by the district attorney's office, court records show.
Morones is set to be sentenced on Jan. 7, 2025.
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