DENVER — It was a deadly weekend on Colorado roads and highways as seven people were killed and multiple people injured in six separate crashes.
Two Castle Rock teens, both 17 years old, were killed in a crash caused by a suspected drunk driver late Friday night. Two other 17-year-old victims were hospitalized for moderate to serious injuries.
The victims were identified as Colton Bellamy and Audrey Todd and were Castle View High School students. The school said they’ll have a crisis team on site Monday and Tuesday to talk to students.
"There’s simply no excuse for it," said CSP Trooper Josh Lewis. "And unfortunately, it far too often results in tragedy, whether it's for the individual that makes that decision or unfortunately, as seems to be the case here, other people that pay the price for a very, very poor decision."
The suspect — identified as Ricky Avalos-Trujillo, of Colorado Springs — was arrested on vehicular homicide and DUI charges, the CSP said.
On the same night near Arvada in Jefferson County, a pedestrian, a 40-year-old Arvada man, was struck and killed near the intersection of West 56th Avenue and Sheridan Boulevard.
The driver, a 50-year-old man from Denver, remained on scene and no charges are pending as of now. The CSP said they are still investigating the incident.
Three separate fatal crashes occurred Saturday in Aurora, Jefferson County and Fort Collins--where a man in a Ford F-150 collided with a parked car and ended up in the front yard of a nearby home.
The man in the Fort Collins crash was pronounced deceased on scene. Police are investigating if the driver suffered a medical event or what other factors may have led up to the collision.
The Aurora crash involved a motorcyclist traveling at a high rate of speed on South Peoria Street around noon.
A 36-year-old man was driving a yellow Ducati motorcycle southbound on Peoria when he collided with a car making a left-hand turn, according to police.
The motorcyclist was transported to the hospital where he was pronounced deceased. The other vehicle stayed on scene and is cooperating with authorities. No charges have been filed.
Another fatal motorcycle crash happened in Jefferson County Saturday evening when a motorcycle collided with another vehicle on South Wadsworth Boulevard and West Coal Mine Avenue, resulting in a fire and the death of the motorcyclist, according to the Jefferson County Sheriff’s Office.
And in Denver, an early Sunday morning crash involving three vehicles on 6th Avenue and Federal Boulevard left one person dead. It’s unclear if there were any other injuries.
A seventh crash involved an unlicensed 15-year-old girl in Wheat Ridge and resulted in damage to a hospice care center early Sunday morning. It was not fatal.
Police said the girl narrowly missed water lines and a generator at the Collier Hospice Center when she allegedly crashed her parents' car into a brick wall at the center around 12:30 a.m. Sunday. No one inside was injured. She is facing several charges including a driving under the influence of drugs charge.
