A homeless woman has been charged with the death of two people from Utah following a fiery head-on collision in December.
At a preliminary hearing on Friday, April 3, Janeen Black, 26, was bound over on four counts of vehicular homicide, six counts of vehicular assault, DUI and compulsory insurance charges in connection to an automobile crash on Dec. 13, 2014.
An expert accident reconstruction analysis by the Colorado State Patrol revealed that Black was driving westbound on County Road G in a Chrysler Pacifica at least 80 mph when she crossed a double yellow line in a curve striking an eastbound Nissan Sentra head-on at about 5:15 p.m.
As a result of the crash, Yvonne Padilla, 40, and Gerald Padilla, 36, were both killed. Three other victims were seriously injured, including a 15-year-old who suffered a pelvic fracture; a 22-year-old who suffered sternal and rib fractures; and a 28-year-old who suffered a broken leg.
A passenger in the Pacifica, the 28-year-old victim, told authorities that Black “kept swerving all over the road” before the crash. A charred keg of beer was found inside the burned out Pacifica.
Black, who admitted to being intoxicated hours after the crash, remains in custody under a $25,000 bond.
tbaker@cortezjournal.com
