COLORADO — The widow of a man killed in a tragic crash involving a deported truck driver is speaking out in support of newly reinstated English language proficiency (ELP) enforcement for commercial drivers, saying it could have saved her husband’s life.

Scott Miller was killed on Highway 285 in Colorado last year when a semi-truck driven by Ignacio Cruz-Mendoza lost control and crashed into multiple vehicles. Cruz-Mendoza, who required a translator to communicate with law enforcement and during court proceedings, had been deported more than a dozen times prior to the crash. He has since been deported to Mexico again.

Scott’s widow, Deann Miller, told The Telegraph that the recent Executive Order signed by President Trump, which mandates enforcement of English proficiency standards for truck drivers, could have prevented the crash. Under the new rule, drivers unable to communicate in English will be placed out-of-service starting in June.

“People like my husband are dead because we have people out there driving trucks that don’t have the proper qualifications,” Deann said. “They can’t speak the language. The man couldn’t speak English, so he wouldn’t have been behind that truck.”

Deann emphasized that the issue is not political, but one of basic safety.

“I don’t care if you come from another country, but please be able to read the traffic signs, because that is very important. And it’s just reality. It’s not political. I don’t want this to be political. I want it to be a reality that this is just safe.”

Wyoming Congresswoman Harriet Hageman, a vocal supporter of reinstating the ELP regulations, called the previous relaxation of the rules a “major safety issue” that endangered “millions of American motorists.”

Cruz-Mendoza’s case has become emblematic of the broader national debate on truck driver qualifications, immigration enforcement, and highway safety standards. For Deann, the tragedy is personal — and her advocacy is aimed at making sure no other family suffers the same loss.