The trial of the man accused in connection to the death of a 9-year-old girl who was killed in a street racing crash in Pleasant Grove begins this week.
Ricky Jackson is charged with racing on a highway causing serious bodily injury after he crashed his orange Dodge Challenger into a sedan on May 24, 2019.
Olivia Mendez, 9, died on the scene after she was ejected from her family's vehicle. Police said Jackson and two other drivers were racing each other on Lake June Road.
Jackson and 2 other men were arrested a day after Mendez died on charges of four counts of racing on a highway causing serious injury.
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Jackson, who was 62 years old at the time of the crash, appeared in court on Tuesday.
“To the offense of racing, Ricky Jackson pleads not guilty,” prosecutor Tom Pappas said in the courtroom Tuesday morning.
The other two men arrested, Hector Camerana and Diego Gayton, pleaded guilty in early 2020 and were sentenced to 5 years each for racing serious bodily injury.
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More than four years after the deadly crash, prosecutors created a timeline for the jury.
Marisol Gomez told the jury of her last memory of her daughter, Olivia Mendez.
“I looked at Olivia and gave her my phone,” Mendez said. Inside the vehicle was also Mendez’s husband and their youngest daughter. “When I turned back around and looked forward, we were turning. And I looked this way, the car was literally it looked like it was inches away from me.”
“It felt like my face was literally falling apart from the impact,” Alfredo Cardoza said. Cardoza is Olivia’s stepfather.
The jury was shown video of three vehicles racing as well as the moment of the fatal impact that caused the 9-year-old to fly from the backseat.
“I just kept yelling, ‘Where’s my daughter, where’s my daughter’,” Cardoza said. “Because I couldn't find her.”
Gomez recalled being in and out of consciousness.
“I was very scared, very afraid I wasn't going to walk anymore,” Gomez said. “But i was more afraid for my kids.”
Gomez told the jury she suffered from multiple injuries including broken ribs, fractured pelvic bone, and injured right leg. She added she frequently uses a cane to walk.
The defense team questioned Gomez about the reason her child was not properly restrained with a seat belt at the time of the crash.
“There were rats that got inside the car and chewed the seatbelt,” Gomez said. The family’s vehicle had undergone repairs months prior. Gomez told the jury it was in the mechanic shop where the webbing of the seatbelt was completely detached.
“Who was sitting there,” Pappas said.
“Olivia,” Gomez said.
On Tuesday afternoon, the jury also heard from the witness who called 911 as well as police officers who responded to the scene.
The jury will return Wednesday mornings and according to prosecutors, closing arguments could begin as soon as tomorrow.
