CLEAR CREEK COUNTY, Colo. — A January 29 crash on Interstate 70 involving a snowplow and a youth hockey team van has resulted in multiple traffic misdemeanor charges against the driver, Colton Weidman, 29, of Littleton.
The Colorado State Patrol announced the charges, which include one count of careless driving causing death and four counts of careless driving causing serious bodily injury. The incident occurred near the Herman Gulch exit in the eastbound lanes of I-70.
Weidman was driving westbound when he lost control, crossed the median, and struck a Toyota Tacoma, which subsequently collided with a BMW in the westbound lanes. The snowplow then hit a Transit van carrying a youth hockey team traveling eastbound. The van veered down an embankment, while the snowplow came to rest on the shoulder.
According to authorities, eight individuals in the van, including five children, were hospitalized, and the van driver, 38-year-old Manuel Alejandro Lorenzana Villegas from Chatsworth, California, later died from injuries sustained in the crash. Weidman was uninjured.
Authorities announced the charges 70 days following the fatal incident, emphasizing ongoing investigations into the matter. Roadways in the area were temporarily impacted during the response efforts.