This is an archived article that was published on sltrib.com in 2013, and information in the article may be outdated. It is provided only for personal research purposes and may not be reprinted.
A driver involved a fatal accident near Moab last month has been charged with the deaths of three people.
David Lewis, 28, of Saginaw, Texas, was charged Tuesday in 7th District Court with three counts of manslaughter, a second-degree felony. If convicted, each count carries a potential prison sentence of 15 years.
"He was reckless," said San Juan County Attorney Craig Halls. "What he was doing was reckless and he should have recognized his behavior was out of line."
The afternoon of Aug. 16, Juan Vidales, 54, Stephanie Vidales, 28, both of Saginaw, Texas and 69-year-old Arthur Loewen, of Perry, Ga., died in the crash on State Road 191 south of Moab.
The Vidaleses were passengers in a southbound Nissan Maxima when the driver, Lewis, tried to pass a semitrailer and collided with an oncoming Hyundai before it spun out of control and was struck by a Cadillac DTS in the northbound lane.
Juan Vidales was in the front passenger seat and was killed on impact, the Utah Highway Patrol said in a news release. Stephanie Vidales was in a rear passenger seat and was ejected from the car.
Ten-year-old Lillian Vidales, also of Saginaw, Texas, was ejected and injured. She was taken to San Juan Hospital in Monticello. Lewis was admitted to the same hospital.
Loewen was the front passenger in the Cadillac and was also killed upon impact, the UHP said.
The occupants of the Hyundai received minor injuries.
Lewis, who has a Texas address, has been summoned to make his first appearance in court on Oct. 21.
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