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Samantha Hayes and Sam Penrod ReportingProsecutors have presented a list of charges against the Nevada Highway Patrol trooper accused of killing several members of a Utah family in a car crash on Interstate 15.
David Roger/District Attorney: "The main charges are five counts of reckless driving."
The car crash happened a month ago just south of Las Vegas. Court papers released today say Trooper Joshua Corcran was speeding well over 100 miles an hour when he slammed into another car and killed four people from St. George.
Corcran is facing a total of nine counts, including involuntary manslaughter and reckless driving. A warrant has been issued for his arrest.
The police report goes on to say Corcran was solely responsible for the crash. He was not handling any emergencies. He was not involved in a high speed chase. His emergency lights and siren were not on.
Investigators believe the Cadillac was going about 52 miles per hour in the 65 mile per hour zone. When Trooper Corcran's Ford hit the Cadillac, the impact was so great that three passengers in the back were thrown out, and both vehicles slid hundreds of feet before stopping.
David Roger/ Clark County District Attorney: "There is a warrant out for his arrest. Bail is set at 27 thousand dollars and he can surrender on those charges in the next couple of days."
The police report says Corcran was driving nearly 120 miles an hour. His explanation to a dispatcher after the accident is quoted in court papers. He said: "..and as soon as I got in the number one there was just a car sitting there and I couldn't do nothing. I ran into the back of them full speed."
Corcran's supervisor says: "He told me that he had just been driving home to go to dinner and he had an on-line history test to take at home that night. He had handled an accident prior to that and he was making a lane change and all of a sudden that car was right there in front of him and the next thing he knew the airbag was hitting him and here's where we ended up."
The crash killed four of the five people inside the Cadillac including the husband of the only survivor, 16-year-old Cecilia Cruz, who is pregnant with twins. Cruz's stepfather says she and her babies are okay physically. She is now out of the hospital. He is glad Corcran is being held accountable. The victims were illegal immigrants from Mexico.
Corcran's attorney called it an accident and says the trooper was only doing his job and did not commit a crime. He says Corcran feels terrible about what happened.
