DILLON — Two people were killed Friday evening in a head-on crash on Colorado Highway 9 near Blue River, Colorado State Patrol confirmed Sunday.
The crash happened when a vehicle that was heading northbound entered the southbound lane, according to Colorado State Patrol trooper Colin Remillard.
The woman who was driving the vehicle that caused the crash is suspected of being under the influence of alcohol. She was arrested and charged with vehicular homicide, DUI and failure to drive in a designated lane, Remillard said.
Katrina Whiteman, who witnessed the crash, said the woman’s vehicle was “swerving all over the road.”
Whiteman said the woman swerved onto the northbound shoulder before overcorrecting and swerving into oncoming traffic.
“We were right behind the whole accident, so we saw everything firsthand,” Whiteman said.
She said the suspect’s vehicle hit an oncoming car, causing it to flip multiple times and ejecting two people.
Both people were killed, Remillard confirmed. The suspect received only minor injuries in the crash.
A vehicular crimes team is investigating the crash, including inspecting the mechanical components of both vehicles and laser mapping the scene, Remillard said.
“That ends up being an extensive investigation,” he said.
The witness said she was speaking out about the crash to help create awareness about how easy it is to prevent these types of accidents.
“However we can lend a hand to make people more aware or slow down or wear their seatbelts,” Whiteman said.
Law enforcement agencies across the state, in partnership with the Colorado Department of Transportation, are nearing the end of a three-week DUI enforcement campaign tied to the Labor Day holiday.
Last year, 44 people were killed in crashes involving impaired drivers in August and September, and 209 people were killed throughout the year in drunk driving crashes, more than one-third of all fatalities.
Remillard said additional information would be released Wednesday.