| Driver of Gasoline Tanker in Accident Has Criminal Record |
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A driver of a gasoline tanker truck overturned and ignited a fire that brought down part of the MacArthur Maze in Oakland, has a criminal record, including a conviction for possession of heroin in 1996 that earned him a 32-month state prison sentence.
The truck he was driving crashed and burned on the connector between westbound Interstate 80 and southbound Interstate 880. The fire brought down the overhead ramp connecting eastbound Interstates. James Mosqueda, 51, of Woodland, was able to obtain a commercial-trucking driver's license the previous June with a special endorsement allowing him to transport hazardous materials. With two felony convictions, but a clean driving record in recent years, nothing in California state law prevented Mosqueda from receiving a license, Mosqueda also passed a background check, administered by the federal Transportation Security Administration, designed to ensure that those who transport hazardous materials do not pose a threat. The crimes of which he had been convicted were not serious or recent enough to disqualify him from driving a truck filled with gasoline, federal officials Caltrans director Will Kempton said the agency will pursue damages if the CHP investigation determines that the driver or company were negligent in the crash. When liability is determined, the appropriate steps are taken to recover damage costs. CHP spokesman Trent Cross said, "Ultimately someone is going to pay for this. Our investigation will tell you what happened, but we leave it to Caltrans and the lawyers to determine how any liability questions are settled."
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