State Sen. Faith Winter was driving with a blood alcohol level twice the legal limit when she was killed in a traffic crash on Nov. 26, according to toxicology reports.
The Arapahoe County Sheriff’s Office completed its investigation into two crashes that occurred that night on I-25 near Centennial. They determined that Winter was at fault in the second of those, ending in her death.
The Arapahoe County Coroner’s Office said toxicology results showed Winter was driving with a blood alcohol level of .185%, which is more than twice the level of .08 at which a driver is presumed impaired.
“The investigation concluded that Senator Winter was at fault for the second crash,” the office said in a release.
The Sheriff’s Office also said no one would be charged in either of the two crashes.
The initial collision involved three vehicles. A fourth vehicle, an F-350 truck, then stopped in a lane of traffic behind that accident and was rear-ended by Winter’s Hyundai Ioniq 5. She was the only occupant of that car.
The Sheriff’s Office noted that the F-350 “did not have visible rear taillights,” but determined the driver of that truck “had been driving with due regard.” The release did not elaborate on what that entailed.
According to the Sheriff’s office, two people were injured in the first crash and transported to a local hospital. One person was injured in the second crash and transported to the hospital. Winter, 45, was found deceased at the scene of the second collision.
Arapahoe County sheriff’s officials said investigators conducted a full accident reconstruction and detailed investigation which they said is standard practice for any crash of this severity.
Investigators said they interviewed drivers, passengers, and witnesses to determine how and why the crash occurred.
According to the report, Winter was wearing a seatbelt
Winter, a Democrat who lived in Broomfield, was driving northbound on I-25 the night she was killed. She was set to serve in her final year in the state legislature. During her time at the Capitol, first in the House and then in the Senate, she was a strong environmentalist and advocate for transit. She led the way on efforts to improve the Capitol’s workplace culture and was the first to speak out on allegations of workplace harassment under the gold dome, which led to policy changes. She was also an early supporter of paid family leave in the state.
Winter was the mother of two children and engaged to be married to former Democratic State Rep. Matt Gray.
She had publicly battled alcohol dependency and was remembered in a ceremony on the Capitol steps after her death as a champion for women in the Capitol.
