Truck driver charged in Montco fatal accident

A Berks County man who failed to secure the trailer portion of the truck he was driving, which resulted in a fatal accident, has been charged with homicide by vehicle, the Montgomery County District Attorney's Office said Thursday.

The crash occurred shortly before 6 a.m. on April 27 in Lower Providence Township. Edwin Olivo, 44, of West Reading, was driving with an invalid license and speeding, officials said.

District Attorney Risa Vetri Ferman said Olivo "was reckless in so many different ways on the road that day."

Officials said Olivo set out from a business in Reading and was northbound on South Park Avenue when speeding caused the vehicle to veer out of its lane. When Olivo too quickly attempted to turn back in toward the lane, the trailer dislodged and struck a southbound truck.

Witnesses said they "heard a crunch and saw debris flying in the air and then saw an explosion," according to the investigation report.

Jermon Jeffers, 40, of Pottstown, was trapped in the severed cab of his truck and was pronounced dead at the scene.

In addition to homicide by vehicle, Olivo is charged with recklessly endangering other people and accidents involving death when not properly licensed.

At the time, Olivo was using a Pennsylvania license that he had acquired just before his New York license was to be suspended in 2011.

"He basically snuck down to Pennsylvania and got himself a new license, knowing that his driver's license was to be suspended in New York," Ferman said.

"When all the facts come out, my position is that nothing here will be deemed reckless," said Olivo's attorney, Art Donato.

Olivo was arraigned Wednesday and released after posting bail.