A Mineola man who crashed the cement truck he was driving into a school bus in Matinecock in July 2012, killing the bus driver and seriously injured an attendant and four special-needs students, was sentenced to five to 15 years in prison last Friday by Nassau County Court Judge William Donnino.
Raymond Ragen, 46, was convicted in April 2014 by a Nassau County jury of manslaughter in the second degree, and assault in the second degree. He was acquitted of aggravated vehicular homicide, vehicular manslaughter in the second degree, and assault in the second degree. The jury deliberated for approximately three hours in a trial that lasted 3-1/2 weeks.
“The irreparable damage caused by Mr. Ragen’s reckless actions will never be erased,” Nassau County District Attorney Kathleen Rice said. “Though nothing will bring back Mr. Guevara to his family, this sentence will ensure that this defendant will be held accountable for the pain and suffering he inflicted upon his victims that day.”
An investigation by the county District Attorney’s Office, Nassau County Police Department, and Drug Enforcement Agency, revealed that Ragen was high on Valium at the time of the crash, according to the DA’s office. The original charges against Ragen included two counts of possession of a controlled substance but the jury was directed to not focus on lesser charges in the case.
“The jury was not asked to consider the lower level charges, including driving while impaired by drugs,” Donnino told the jurors.
Rice said Ragen was driving a 13-foot, 3-inch-high cement truck weighing nearly 40,000 pounds eastbound on Oyster Bay Road in Matinecock when he crashed into a 10-foot, one-inch-high Long Island Rail Road overpass.
The force of the crash sent the cement truck careening into oncoming traffic where it crashed head-on with a small school bus carrying special-needs children home from summer camp.
The driver of the bus, Jorge Guevara, 45, of Locust Valley, suffered extensive internal injuries and had one of his legs nearly amputated. He was alive for approximately 30 minutes inside the bus while emergency responders attempted to sustain and revive him. Guevara died from his injuries while still pinned inside the bus.
A 64-year-old man serving as a bus attendant suffered multiple fractures, including a broken and dislocated hip that required two surgeries and a fractured wrist. Metal hardware was inserted into his hips and knees, he requires the use of a wheelchair and he must walk with the aid of a cane.
The four children on the bus were between the ages of six and nine. Three suffered minor injuries, but the fourth suffered a fractured jaw and lacerations on his face and body. He has permanent facial scarring and a detached lip.
Ragen was arrested after an investigation by the DA’s office, the Nassau County Police Department, the New York State Department of Transportation and the U.S. Drug Enforcement Administration.
GPS data from the cement truck revealed that Ragen was aware that his truck wouldn’t fit under the overpass because he had driven up to the bridge a few hours earlier and been forced to perform a U-turn.
