Truck driver charged with manslaughter in crash that killed SLO cyclist
A charge of misdemeanor vehicular manslaughter has been filed against the semi-truck driver accused of hitting and killing a bicyclist in San Luis Obispo in June.
Enkhtaivan Tumur, 38, is scheduled to be arraigned in San Luis Obispo Superior Court on Jan. 24 at 8:30 a.m. in Judge Jesse Marino’s courtroom.
Tumur allegedly killed Salvador Cortez in an “unlawful manner, but without gross negligence,” according to a District Attorney’s Office court filing of the charge.
Cortez, 61, of San Luis Obispo, was struck by a semi-truck near the intersection of South Higuera Street and Suburban Road around 7:20 a.m. on June 25, according to a SLO police news release.
According to the release, Cortez was traveling northbound on South Higuera Street when he was hit by the vehicle, which was turning east onto Suburban Road.
First responders began providing emergency care to Cortez, but he was pronounced dead at the scene.
According to the release, the truck driver cooperated with the investigation, and drugs and alcohol were not believed to be a factor.
The DA’s Office noted in its charge, filed Nov. 7, that Tumur committed an unlawful act, but “without malice” and the circumstances didn’t amount to a felony charge.
“We do not have additional information to release related to this case,” said Capt. Brian Amoroso in an email on Nov. 22.
After reviewing the evidence, Assistant District Attorney Eric Dobroth said the office filed the case as recommended by SLOPD.
A conviction would be punishable by up to one year in County Jail and/or a $1,000 fine, Dobroth said.
Dobroth also said the DA’s Office couldn’t release any additional information.
Cortez leaves community legacy
According to an obituary published in The Tribune, Cortez was born in 1959 in El Paso, Texas, and moved to California, where he went on to play baseball on a scholarship at West Hills Community College.
He then attended Cal Poly, earning a bachelor’s degree in social sciences and a master’s in guidance and counseling.
Cortez was an entrepreneur who founded multiple businesses during his career and worked in various jobs.
“He found a calling in the nonprofit sector, becoming a mentor for Achievement House and later providing financial planning and retirement services for fire, police and city workers across the Central Coast,” the obituary noted. “He had a lust for life and took pride in honest, hard work. In his free time he challenged himself with a multitude of athletic activities, most notably completing the 2018 Tempe Ironman Triathlon.”
Cortez was an avid Cal Poly Athletics supporter and met his wife of 32 years, Sue, in SLO, where they went on to marry and raise a son, Quintin.
