A 59-year-old man was arrested Wednesday and charged with vehicular homicide and driving under the influence in a September crash on U.S. 6 near Palisade that killed two Colorado Department of Transportation workers and another passenger.
Patrick Sneddon was charged with nine felonies, including three counts of vehicular homicide while driving under the influence, three counts of vehicular homicide from reckless driving and three counts of failing to yield the right of way to a stationary public service utility vehicle resulting in death, according to court records.
Investigators originally said they didn’t believe impairment was a factor in the crash.
Sneddon also faces a separate DUI misdemeanor and a reckless driving traffic charge, court records show.
Three people were killed in the Sept. 4 crash after a Jeep Grand Cherokee, allegedly driven by Sneddon, collided with two CDOT employees working to fix a sign on the side of U.S. 6. The Jeep then hit a parked CDOT vehicle, causing the Jeep to roll.
State officials identified the CDOT workers as Trent Umberger and Nate Jones, transportation maintenance professionals who worked in Grand Junction. Kathi Ann Wallace of Grand Junction, a passenger in the Grand Cherokee, was also killed in the crash.
A Colorado State Patrol investigation following the crash determined both CDOT workers were following proper safety guidelines.
Investigators said the CDOT vehicle, a Ford F-450, was parked completely off the highway with both lights and a signboard activated to warn drivers. Umberger and Jones were wearing their safety vests and removing the replacement sign from the truck bed when the crash occurred.
Sneddon is currently being held on $100,000 cash bail
in Mesa County Jail, according to the sheriff’s office. His next court date has not yet been scheduled.
This is a developing story and may be updated.
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