Grand Rapids Truck Driver Arrested For Deaths of 3 Motorcyclists

Truck drivers are known for their rigid driving regimes, traveling to various cities nationwide for potentially days at a time. That's how Grand Rapids truck driver Claude Rafiki found himself in Nevada.

Sadly, his driving was not up to par, and it cost three motorcyclists their lives.

Claude Rafiki

According to thetrucker.com, 29-year-old Claude Rafiki was arrested on March 23rd after he allegedly drove his semi-truck on the wrong side of the road just outside of Las Vegas, striking a pair of motorcycles carrying newly engaged couple Owen Hart (22) and Athena Fay Taylor (21), and Jeremy Gebo (44), all from Saint George, Utah.

READ MORE: GRPD Requests Help Identifying Person of Interest in Hit-and-Run

The Nevada Highway Patrol (NHP) originally charged Rafiki with DUI and reckless driving causing death or substantial bodily harm, however, prosecutors dropped the DUI charges, and Rafiki is now facing three charges of reckless driving.

Case Complication

According to 8newsnow, the case has one factor that makes this case unique. Firstly, Rafiki doesn't speak English, which isn't traditionally that big of a deal, however, Rafiki speaks Kinyarwanda, a language from Central Africa.

The University of Chicago states that 18 million people speak Kinyarwanda. It is the official language in Rwanda and Burundi, but it is uncommon here in the States. Finding a translator in the US proved difficult, resulting in a delay in his court appearance.

There is a good chance that Rafiki won't be seen on the road anytime soon. His bond is set at a whopping 500,000 dollars.