Driver in fatal auto-pedestrian crash going twice the speed limit, investigators say - KSL.com

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TAYLORSVILLE — A man who police estimate was traveling 80 mph in a 35 mph zone when he looked down to eat his fast food and hit and killed a pedestrian is now facing criminal charges.

Aron Jimenez-Contreras, 19, of West Valley City, was charged Monday in 3rd District Court with negligently operating a vehicle resulting in death, a second-degree felony; and DUI, carrying a gun while under the influence, and causing an accident with damage, all class B misdemeanors.

The series of events began early in the morning of Dec. 31 when Jimenez-Contreras allegedly hit another car in the parking lot of McDonald's, 5400 S. 3900 West, according to charging documents. A McDonald's employee told police that he was working the drive-thru window and "observed that the driver of the vehicle appeared to be under the influence of alcohol or drugs. (The employee) stated the driver got his food, floored the vehicle out of the drive-thru and struck another vehicle. The vehicle then floored it out of the parking lot," the charges state.

A few minutes later, police received a report of an auto-pedestrian crash at 4943 S. 4015 West. Despite life-saving efforts, including from Jimenez-Contreras who attempted to perform CPR on the victim, Ricardo Jauregui-Casellanos, 36, was pronounced dead at the scene.

After the crash, Jimenez-Contreras allegedly handed his gun to one of the passengers in his vehicle, "and told him and the other passenger to take off as this didn't involve them and that he would call the police," the charges state.

Police suspected Jimenez-Contreras was under the influence of alcohol, but the DUI portion of the investigation did not happen until approximately 2½ hours after the crash, according to the charges. At that time, Jimenez-Contreras's blood-alcohol content measured at 0.035%, which is below the legal limit in Utah for people aged 21 and over. However, according to prosecutors, "due to the rate at which a person metabolizes alcohol, Jimenez-Contreras would have been over a 0.05% blood-alcohol level at the time of the incident."

Jimenez-Contreras allegedly admitted to police that he was drinking prior to the crash and that he thought he had just hit the curb at the McDonald's parking lot, according to the charges.

"Jimenez-Contreras stated he drove away eating some french fries he had ordered from McDonald's. He stated he looked down at the french fries, and when he looked up, he noticed a pedestrian walking across the street when he struck him. Jimenez-Contreras stated he attempted to stop but didn't have much time," according to charging documents.

Investigators determined that Jimenez-Contreras "was traveling at approximately 76 mph at the time of the impact, and had been traveling at approximately 80 mph five seconds prior to impact. The posted speed limit in that area is 35 mph," the charges state.

Prosecutors also note that Jimenez-Contreras "has a significant history of traffic violations" including receiving a speeding ticket in West Valley City on Dec. 29.

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Pat Reavy is a longtime police and courts reporter. He joined the KSL.com team in 2021, after many years of reporting at the Deseret News and KSL NewsRadio before that.