BRECKENRIDGE, Colo. — A Breckenridge woman who caused a crash that killed two people will spend the next 16 years in the Colorado Department of Corrections (DOC), according to a release from the Fifth Judicial District Attorney's office.
Lindsey Ward, 32, admitted to drinking at the Breckenridge Golf Course before the Aug. 30, 2019, crash. In April, Ward pleaded guilty to two counts of vehicular homicide.
Surveillance video shows Ward drinking mixed drinks earlier in the afternoon, then within the last hour and before driving, she was seen taking several shots of liquor and drinking a beer, the release said.
She then drove to a liquor store to buy beer and tequila to take home, according to the release.
The release said while driving south on Highway 9 near Breckenridge, she ran off the road, over-corrected and crossed the center line, entering oncoming traffic and causing the deadly crash.
Benjamin Mitton, 41, and Nichole Gough, 43, were killed.
The release said Ward's blood-alcohol level was .290 at the time, more than three times the legal limit for driving.
"Drinking and driving remains epidemic," said Stephanie Cava, deputy with the 5th Judicial District Attorney. "Ms. Ward made the decision to drink, and the decision to get behind the wheel. Had she not, then this crash could have been prevented. The heartache expressed by the families today is unimaginable, and something no one in our community should ever have to suffer."
Judge Thompson chose the sentence for Ward from an agreed upon range of between 8 to 20 years in either Community Corrections or the Department of Corrections, the release says.
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