Kenyan truck driver Moses Gatere killed in Colorado Mountains
Kenyan truck driver Moses Gatere killed in Colorado Mountains
The Colorado State Patrol says a truck driver was killed when his tractor-trailer rig ran off Interstate 70 in the mountains west of Denver. The victim was identified as 37-year-old Moses Gatere of Arlington, Texas. The patrol says Gatere’s truck was eastbound in Summit County on Monday when it crossed into the right lane, which was closed for roadwork, and struck several traffic barrels before running off the highway and plunging down and embankment. The truck was carrying milk, and some spilled into a creek. The State Patrol’s Hazardous Materials Unit was overseeing the cleanup. Troopers say neither drugs nor alcohol is believed to be a factor in the wreck.
We regret to announce the death of Moses Muniu Gatere following a road accident on August 4, 2009 in Frisco, Colorado USA. He was the husband to Frashier Nduta Muniu and father to Kairu, Gatere, Waitete and Njambi. He was the son of Mr. & Mrs. Charles Gatere of Gatimu village in Limuru and a son in law to the late Mr. & Mrs. Daniel Kairu of Kabuku village in Limuru.Family and friends are meeting daily for prayers and funeral arrangements at the Family’s residence at 7017 Oconner St Arlington, TX 76002. Tel no. 817 468 3214
A Harambee to raise the money needed to transport the remains and the immediate family to Kenya is scheduled for Sunday August 9, 2009 4 PM at the family residence.
A Bank account has been set up for the fund mentioned; any financial support will be highly appreciated.
Bank of America
Account name: Freshier N. Muniu
Account #: 4880 2543 7539
Routing #: 111000025
Account established in the State of TEXAS.
A memorial service will held on Tuesday August 11, 2009 between 4 PM – 6PM at
Trinity Hillcrest Church
12727 Hillcrest Rd
Dallas, TX 75230
Tel: 972 991 3601
Lets join together to grieve and support his family. Your prayers and support will be greatly treasured and May God bless you.
For Additional Information, you may contact any of the following persons.
Alex Ndirangu 469 438 8388
Peter Mbugua 469 835 1210
Rev Jacob Ngobia 972 386 5582
James Mwangi 617 794 3949
Patrick Njoroge 214 404 6227
Robert Thige 469 995 5192
Philip Kuria 214 223 5020
Rose Wakibia 469 438 0873
John Ndichu 682 559 5807
John Mwangi 682 557 6650
by Andy Phelan
Ephantus Gathuru, seated with his attorney Michael Davis, looks back
toward his wife seated in the front row of Judge Ann Workman’s DeKalb
County courtroom May 4 before he was sentenced to 15 years for his
role in a 2005 crash that killed three people. Photo by Andy Phelan.
A tractor-trailer driver convicted of vehicular homicide and reckless driving for his role in an I-285 crash in 2005 that killed three people was sentenced to 15 years in prison and five years probation by a DeKalb County Court.
Surrounded by more than 50 family and friends, Ephantus Gathuru, 51, of Smyrna received the maximum penalty May 4, just a week after a jury found him guilty of negligence.
Superior Court Judge Ann Workman, acknowledging the defendant was respectful and that sentencing was difficult, nonetheless showed little leniency.
“Prices have to be paid,” Workman told Gathuru as he stood before the judge in an orange jumpsuit, head slightly bowed. “No one is saying you’re are a malevolent or evil person. But you showed criminal neglect in the operation of your vehicle that day.”
On June 24, 2005, at about 3:30 p.m. Gathuru was driving his 18-wheeler on the east wall of I-285 north near Flat Shoals Road when he hit the car of Truett Beasley, 79, and Gwendolyn Beasley, 72, of Gulf Breeze, Fla. The couple was killed instantly after being thrown 200 feet into a median wall.
Kevin Michael Brunelle, 26, of Warm Springs, was killed when Gathuru’s truck, which according to court testimony, threw cars off the road “like bowling pins,” ran over Brunelle’s truck. Seven people were also injured in the wreck.
Although DeKalb County Police told the media the day of the crash they had probable cause Gathuru was under the influence, tests showed the native of Nairobi, Kenya, was not intoxicated. Gathuru hit seven cars in all, most of which were stopped in the far right lane waiting to get on I-20 East.
In court, Gathuru’s attorney Michael Davis brought nearly a dozen character witnesses to the stand to testify on his behalf. Assistant District Attorney Heather Waters used just one–a letter from the Beasleys’ son, Norman, who recounted the pain of the loss especially “on Mother’s and Father’s Day.”
Ultimately the jury and Judge Workman agreed with Waters–that Gathuru had not taken the care necessary when driving the big rig, which Waters called the “biggest dog on the road” and when not operated correctly the “deadliest weapon.”
Nearly 4,000 people in passenger cars die each year in accidents involving tractor-trailers, almost 20 percent of deaths in multiple-vehicle crashes, according to the Insurance Institute for Highway Safety.
The trucks can weigh 20 to 30 times more than other vehicles on the road and leave passengers in lighter cars much more vulnerable.
Gathuru, by all accounts a respectable and responsible husband and father, was pursuing a nursing degree from Kennesaw State University in wake of the crash. Arriving in July 2000, the Gathurus came to America “so our children could have a better education,” said Gathuru’s wife Anastasia Nugi. All three of their children now have college degrees.
“He’s a good person, a good family man,” said Gathuru’s friend Michael Karuu of Acworth. Father Larry Niese, Gathuru’s pastor at St. Michael the Archangel in Woodstock, said while the incident was tragic, it should not be compounded by Gathuru’s incarceration.
“We can’t let reason be thrown to the wind,” Niese said. “To me, it was an accident. That could have been me, you or anyone.”
Although Gathuru’s attorney Davis said his client would only do “five to seven years” of his sentence, a court official told The Champion that Gathuru would serve “90 percent of his time.”
After the sentence, Gathuru’s friends and family gathered outside the courthouse and prayed in a circle.
“It’s tragic,” said James Karanja of Rex. “He’s a good man.”
Source-The Chambion Newspaper
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Kenyan Community.
Two years ago a kenyan was jailed for fifteen years.He is always filled with joy when i visit him in jail and he remain positive that he will come out one day.My challenges have always been ,did i do enough for him?
Regards
Michael Karuu
Realtor
Certified Business Brokerage{CBB}
Metrobrokers/Gmac Real Estate
Woodstock,GA 30188.
Office:404 843 2500
Direct Line 770 698 1159
Fax: 770 924 5206
Washington Post
Tuesday, November 11, 2008; A19