Truck driver Francisco Espinal-Quiroz charged with reckless homicide in I-55 crash

JOLIET, Ill. (WLS) -- Truck driver Francisco Espinal-Quiroz, 51, of Leesburg, Ind., is charged with 15 counts of reckless homicide in a crash that killed five people on I-55 on July 21, 2014.

Prosecutors say Espinal-Quiroz was speeding in a construction zone, failed to slow, and didn't keep a proper lookout for other vehicles when his semi struck several cars on I-55 near Arsenal Road in south suburban Elwood. Five people were killed: Kimberly K. Britton, 43, of Urbana; Piper Britton, 11, of Urbana; Vicky L. Palacios, 54, of Coal City; Ulrike P. Blopleh, 48, of Channahon; and Timothy Osburn, 74, of Urbana.

The reckless homicide charges were announced on Wednesday by Will County State's Attorney James Glasgow. Also in the indictment, prosecutors said Espinal-Quiroz has "physical conditions that limited his ability to drive safely." A 2006 posting on the Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration website said Espinal-Quiroz has a complete loss of vision in his right eye due to a traumatic injury sustained 30 years ago.

In other words, Espinal-Quiroz is an over-the-road trucker with one good eye.

Truckers with vision impairment can legally drive tractor trailers provided they demonstrate a safe driving record, and get clearance from an eye doctor. They are then eligible for a waiver from the federal government. After a 2005 examination, Espinal-Quiroz' optometrist, who is unnamed, wrote, "Mr. Espinal has excellent vision in his left eye. I feel he has sufficient vision to perform the driving tasks required to operate a commercial vehicle."

A driver with one good eye has to demonstrate adequate peripheral vision.

"And the standard is you need to have 140-degree peripheral vision which is about here," Dr. Cheryl Kraff-Cooper, Kraff Eye Institute, said.

Dr. Kraff-Cooper does not have access to the vision records of Espinal-Quiroz, but suggests peripheral vision is key.

"Truck drivers, depending on the size of the truck, need to have a lot of other things: better fine motor skills and if you're missing certain visual things, our depth perception can be off also, so that can be a problem," Dr. Kraff-Cooper said.

The indictments do not specifically say that Espinal Quiroz' blindness in one eye caused the accident. There may have been multiple factors, but sources say investigators were stunned to find after the accident that the trucker is blind in one eye,

Espinal-Quiroz already faced falsifying logbook and driving time charges.

He faces six to 28 years in prison if convicted of reckless homicide, a Class 2 felony, and is being held at Will County Jail on a $1 million bond.