MESA, Ariz. — The semi-truck driver who allegedly crashed into a Mesa home on New Year's Eve 2020 and killed a 50-year-old man was arrested earlier this week on an outstanding warrant.
Daniel Tobon, 58, was taken into custody Monday in Maricopa County after he was extradited from California to face 15 felony charges for a destructive crash that occurred nearly three years ago.
Court records show Tobon could be charged with manslaughter, aggravated assault, criminal damage, several counts of endangerment, and forgery.
The deadly crash occurred on Dec. 31, 2020 after the large commercial vehicle plowed into a home with 10 people inside near Crismon Road and U.S. 60.
Todd Welliver was killed in the collision.
"He was a great guy. No one ever thought for him to go this way," Welliver's girlfriend told 12News after the crash.
An earlier police report indicates Tobon likely experienced a medical emergency, causing him to lose control of the truck.
A couple of months after the incident, the U.S. Department of Transportation published a press release that accused Tobon of fraudulently certifying medical records needed to obtain a commercial driver’s license.
The deliberate omission or falsification of medical information while obtaining a CDL can result in penalties against the driver.
"FMCSA investigators found that in September 2020, Tobon had fraudulently certified his USDOT/FMCSA medical examination report form; he also fraudulently certified the form previously in September 2018," the federal agency wrote in its release.
As a result, DOT declared Tobon an "imminent hazard to public safety" and ordered him to stop operating commercial vehicles.
Tobon is scheduled to be arraigned Friday in Maricopa County Superior Court.
*Editor's Note: The above video is from an earlier broadcast*
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