Suspect in crash may have been eating while driving

Eric Leake

Wednesday, April 13, 2005 | 11:06 a.m.

Eating while driving may be to blame for a traffic collision that pinned a North Las Vegas city employee between his work truck and a car at a park Tuesday morning, police said.

Anthony Borruto, 48, was hit just after he reported to work, while he was standing near the back of his city pickup truck along Bassler Street next to Joe Kneip Park about 6 a.m., North Las Vegas Police said.

Borruto was taken to University Medical Center in critical condition with both legs crushed. He remained hospitalized in serious condition this morning in the trauma intensive care unit, a hospital spokeswoman said.

Officer Tim Bedwell, police spokesman, said Borruto suffered massive trauma to his legs which may result in amputation.

Bedwell said it appears that Jesus Cervantes Cano, 20, was not paying attention as he drove his 1990 Pontiac and drifted to the right side of the road, striking Borruto.

Cano may have been eating breakfast while driving and not paying enough attention to the road, Bedwell said, but that was still under investigation this morning. Cano was driving from home to work, but it was unclear where he was employed, Bedwell said.

"This is typical of the kind of accident that occurs when people really casually approach driving. Driving is a serious business. People forget that a vehicle is a deadly weapon," Bedwell said.

Cano was cited for failing to pay full attention while driving and for driving without a license. He was jailed in the North Las Vegas Detention Center on $10,000 bail.

Bedwell said that Cano appeared genuinely upset after the accident. Police gave him a field sobriety test and found no sign of impairment, and Cano also agreed to let investigators draw a blood sample from him for testing.

"This was a horrible accident," North Las Vegas City Manager Greg Rose said. "Our hearts and prayers go out to them (Borruto's family) during this time."

Borruto has worked for the city for eight years and is a maintenance worker in the parks and recreation department.

The city held a meeting with Borruto's co-workers to inform them of the accident. Crisis intervention officers also attended.

"It's really a close-knit family, all the city employees, but especially when you get in a small department like parks and recreation," Bedwell said.

He said many city employees and members of the wider community have been calling and asking how they may help.

"There's a real concern. It just really hits home an accident like this that it could be any one of us," Bedwell said.