Former truck driver Marcos Costa was sentenced to seven years and four months in prison after being convicted of manslaughter and reckless driving charges in the 2009 crash on the Angeles Crest Highway northeast of Los Angeles that killed two people.
Costa will get credit for time served, or roughly half the length of the sentence.
Brazil native Costa was driving a 25-ton, double-deck car hauler in April 2009 when it lost its brakes on the steep highway descent and slammed into several vehicles, including a car containing a 58-year-old man and his 12-year-old daughter, killing both instantly.
Three others were injured in the massive collision. The rig also crashed into shops.
After the accident, the mountain highway was closed briefly. Later, the California Department of Transportation banned five-axle trucks from a section of the highway.
