Pomona driver sentenced to a year in jail for fatal collision

Pictured: Ruben Vasquez

CHINO -- A man convicted of vehicular manslaughter in connection with a fatal traffic accident was sentenced today to a year in jail.

Sentencing for Daniel Briones Rosas of Pomona came after family members of the man killed, Ruben Carlos Vasquez of Menifee, described their grief over Vasquez's loss.

"I am angry that I will no longer see my brother," Vasquez's sister, Delia Vasquez, said in Chino Superior Court. "He won't be there to make me laugh."

Vasquez, 20, was killed in the early morning hours of June 20, 2010 when Rosas's vehicle collided with Vasquez's idle car, which had come to a stop on the 60 Freeway near Benson Avenue.

Authorities measured Rosas' blood-alcohol level at 0.07, just shy of the legal limit of 0.08. Vasquez's blood-alcohol level was measured at 0.12.

Rosas, 34, pleaded guilty to vehicular manslaughter last month as part of a plea agreement that carried a sentence of no more than a year in jail.

Rosas reached the agreement with Judge Gerard S. Brown. Prosecutors objected to the agreement.

Vasquez's family members have said they believe a one-year sentence is too lenient for Rosas.

Brown explained his reasoning behind the agreement today before he sentenced Rosas.

Rosas has no prior criminal history, he has expressed remorse for the incident, and he has a full-time job that will enable him to make restitution payments to Vasquez's family, Brown said.

The San Bernardino County Probation Department agrees that a year in jail is a fair sentence, Brown said.

Vasquez's relatives said after the hearing that they remained unsatisfied with Rosas' sentence.

"We feel cheated," said Roger Velasco, Vasquez's cousin.

"You hear (drunken driving) laws are getting stricter," he said. "But in this case it doesn't seem that's what happened."

Rosas' mother, Socorro Martinez, said she feels the loss of Vasquez's family.

"(Rosas) works hard and studies hard," she said. "And it's just an unfortunate accident."

Rosas' attorney, Cedric Elias, said he believes Vasquez's car came to a stop on the freeway because he either fell asleep or passed out from drinking too much alcohol.

He said there was gas in Vasquez's tank -- which rules out the possibility that his vehicle stopped because it ran out of gas -- and authorities said his car was mechanically sound.