Inset: Manuel Alejandro Lorenzana Villegas (GoFundMe). Background: The aftermath of the fatal plow crash in Colorado that claimed the life of Manuel Alejandro Lorenzana Villegas (Colorado State Patrol).
A Colorado snowplow driver slammed into a van carrying a girls hockey team and sent it careening down an embankment, killing a father behind the wheel and injuring multiple children, while driving carelessly on a slushy interstate, cops say.
Colton Wiedman, 29, is facing one count of careless driving resulting in death, four counts of careless driving causing serious bodily injury, three counts of careless driving causing bodily injury, and failure to stay in his lane.
Colorado State Patrol officials announced the charges in a press release Thursday sent to Law&Crime, a little over two months after the crash claimed the life of Manuel Alejandro Lorenzana Villegas, a 38-year-old dad from California. Wiedman was allegedly driving a snowplow for the Colorado Department of Transportation.
“The crash involved a CDOT plow and a sprinter van carrying a youth hockey team from California and two additional passenger vehicles,” the CSP release says.
Preliminary information from the investigation, which was released by the Clear Creek County Sheriff”s Office on Jan. 29, shows that the CDOT plow truck Wiedman was driving was traveling westbound on Interstate 70 when he allegedly “lost control” and smashed into the median.
“The plow truck traveled through the median, breaking through the cable rail and into the eastbound lanes,” the sheriff’s office said. “The plow collided with a Toyota Tacoma that was traveling eastbound in the eastbound lanes. After impact, the Toyota went through the median and struck a BMW traveling westbound in the westbound lanes.”
Wiedman’s plow continued eastbound and struck the sprinter van as it was traveling eastbound in the eastbound lanes, per the sheriff’s office. “After the impact, the sprinter van ended up down an embankment,” the office said. “The CDOT plow came to rest on the shoulder.”
The crash unfolded just before 9 a.m., according to CSP officials. One child was reportedly airlifted to the hospital in critical condition, while four children and three adults were also hospitalized with lesser injuries. The youths were part of the 12AA Lady Flyers hockey family, which released a statement about the crash on Instagram.
“Our 12AA Lady Flyers hockey family was involved in a tragic accident,” the statement said. “While traveling to Colorado for what was meant to be a joyful and exciting tournament, their lives were changed forever. Now, their moment of anticipation has become a frightening ordeal. Families find themselves far from home, focused not on the game they love, but on grieving the loss of one of their own and in need of returning to the safety, care, and comfort of home.”
The team added, “Words cannot express the heartbreak we are experiencing. Please hold these families in your prayers.”
A GoFundMe launched for Villegas’ family after his death describes him as “a hero and the epitome of what an amazing man, father, partner and friend should be.” He worked as a tattoo artist and owned the Rare Hearts Tattoo Club in Woodland Hills, Calif.
“He is a father, an artist and a family man,” a description says on the shop’s website.
Wiedman is scheduled to be arraigned on May 5 in Clear Creek County, according to online court records.
