A driver who crashed into a group of bicyclists in suburban Phoenix in February 2023, killing two riders and injuring several others, was sentenced Thursday to one year in jail after pleading guilty to misdemeanor charges.
Pedro Quintana-Lujan entered guilty pleas to two counts of causing death by a moving vehicle and 10 counts of causing serious injury by a moving vehicle — all misdemeanors — in connection with the Feb. 25, 2023, crash on the Cotton Lane Bridge in Goodyear, about 19 miles west of Phoenix. The sentencing took place Sept. 5, 2025.
Prosecutors said Quintana-Lujan was driving a pickup hauling a trailer on a busy highway when the vehicle struck members of a roughly 20-person cycling group. Two people were killed: Karen Malisa, 61, of Goodyear, and David Kero, 65, who was visiting from Michigan. Nearly everyone in the group sustained injuries, authorities said.
Quintana-Lujan remained at the scene after the crash. Prosecutors reported finding no indication that he had been speeding or under the influence of alcohol or drugs. His attorney, Jason Karpel, did not respond to a request for comment, and city prosecutors declined to comment on the case after the sentencing.
The charges to which Quintana-Lujan pleaded guilty are classified as misdemeanors under Arizona law. Those convictions and the one-year jail sentence announced Thursday conclude the criminal portion of the case brought by local prosecutors, according to court filings and the plea entered in court. The record does not indicate additional felony charges were pursued or filed in relation to the crash.
The Feb. 2023 collision drew widespread attention in the Phoenix area because of the size of the cycling group and the severity of injuries. Local authorities responded to the scene on the Cotton Lane Bridge and launched an investigation that ultimately produced the misdemeanor counts listed in the plea.
Victims and community members affected by the crash have not issued public statements through the prosecutor’s office, and the court docket does not detail any civil actions tied to the incident. The sentencing ends the criminal proceedings reported by prosecutors; any further legal actions, including civil suits, would proceed separately and are not reflected in the criminal record filed in court.
The case highlights risks for group cyclists and raises questions about road safety enforcement in suburban corridors where recreational and commuter cyclists share space with motor vehicles. Officials in Goodyear and the Maricopa County area have in recent years periodically reviewed traffic safety measures, but prosecutors in this case did not comment on whether the crash will prompt policy changes.
Quintana-Lujan’s sentence of one year in jail is final as of the court’s Sept. 5, 2025, ruling. Further details about the terms of his sentence, including any probation or restitution orders, were not disclosed in media reporting or by city prosecutors following the hearing.