Driver accused of killing Highlands Ranch boy pleads guilty to one count

HIGHLANDS RANCH, Colo. — A driver is accused of fatally struck a Highlands Rancho seventh grader who was on his way to school, pleaded guilty Monday to reckless driving causing death.

Oleksandr “Alex” Matskevich, 13 years old, rode OneWheel (one-wheeled electric skateboard) just before 7 a.m. on March 6 when a driver struck and killed him as he crossed the intersection of Venneford Ranch Road and Highlands Ranch Parkway.

According to the Douglas County Sheriff’s Office (DCSO), the driver remained at the scene following the crash.

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The driver, 53-year-old Ruben Morones, was eastbound in the far right lane of Highlands Ranch Parkway when he approached the intersection, the sheriff’s office said. According to DCSO, the signal was red for eastbound traffic at the time

Alex was heading south in the crosswalk on Venneford Ranch Road crossing Highlands Ranch Parkway. The pedestrian alarm went off when the teenager was crossing the street, the sheriff’s office said.

According to DCSO, Morones ran a red light and struck Alex on the opposite side of the intersection. After the collision, the car came to a “controlled stop” east of the intersection. The sheriff’s office said Alex was thrown from his Onewheel and came to rest on the shoulder east of the intersection.

Investigators do not believe speeding was a factor, DCSO said.

Morones was arrested for careless driving causing death, careless driving causing grievous bodily harm to a vulnerable road user and failure to obey a traffic signal. He pleaded guilty Monday to reckless driving causing death. The other two charges — reckless driving causing bodily injury and failure to obey a traffic signal — were dismissed by the district attorney’s office, court records show.

Morones’ sentencing is scheduled for January 7, 2025.