LAS VEGAS (KTNV) — The State of Nevada shares some of the blame for a fatal crash in North Las Vegas that claimed nine lives, according to the National Transportation Safety Board at a Tuesday meeting to determine the probable cause of the crash.
The federal review found Las Vegas judges and prosecutors have blood on their hands, too, in the tragedy, which one board member said may have been avoided had the Nevada court system done a better job.
NTSB members explained how the deadly Jan. 29, 2022 crash was caused by a career criminal with a dangerous driving record the system allowed to be kept secret.
When 59-year-old Gary Dean Robinson sped through a red light at N. Commerce St. and Cheyenne Ave., he went 103 miles per hour in his 2018 Dodge Challenger.
NTSB records from Tuesday's meeting show he was also high on cocaine and PCP when he caused a collision with five other cars.
Robinson, his passenger, and seven family members in a minivan died in the crash on that Saturday afternoon.
13 Investigates discovered Robinson was scheduled to be in Las Vegas Municipal Court the following Monday for a speeding ticket he previously pleaded guilty to. This is just one in a long line of violations that board members in the Tuesday meeting said demonstrated a "repeated disregard for safety" that made him "more likely to cause a fatal crash."
COVERAGE: High-speed crash in North Las Vegas kills 9 people, including 7 from one family
"Had this driver been identified as a repeat offender, it seems there's a much greater likelihood that his behavior would have been addressed, and perhaps this tragedy could have been avoided," said NTSB Member Tom Chapman.
When NTSB investigators pulled Robinson's 10-year tenure driving record from the State of Nevada, only one speeding citation was listed. That's despite him being cited for speeding five times in just a year and a half leading up to the crash.
Of those more recent citations, none appeared on his driving record, and three of the speeding tickets were reduced to illegal parking.
"Three times, this driver walked out of Nevada court with a clean driving record and nothing more than a parking ticket," noted NTSB Member Bruce Landsberg.
Robinson's criminal history included charges of assault with a deadly weapon and domestic violence. In 2007, he violated probation and was sent to jail after being busted for selling cocaine to an undercover LVMPD detective. In 2008, he was tased after rushing the judge's bench during a drug court hearing. Also in 2008, Robinson pleaded guilty to having an open container while driving on the strip with a revoked or suspended license.
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"Our justice system doesn't seem to be up to managing this," Landsberg said. "We had an entire list of this driver being not just a bad actor, but an egregiously bad actor in multiple areas in terms of substance abuse and inability to follow any traffic laws. And yet the justice system was unable to preclude this person from driving. And my question is, why?"
The NTSB found the State of Nevada failed to deter Robinson's repeat speeding due to "systemic deficiencies including routine plea agreements that alter or drop violations, inaccurate driver records, failure to track citations accurately, and delays in reporting convictions."
To help fix all that, the board recommended systemic change, including a nationwide program to identify and track repeat speeding offenders.
