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Colorado State Senator Faith Winter

Colorado state senator legally drunk at time of fatal crash, coroner’s report says

Colorado State Senator Faith Winter © Colorado Newsline

Sara Wilson
(Colorado Newsline)

Colorado state Senator Faith Winter’s blood alcohol level was above the legal limit when she died in a car crash the night before Thanksgiving, according to the Arapahoe County Coroner’s Office.

Winter, a Broomfield Democrat, died during a multi-vehicle car crash on Interstate 25 south of Denver on Nov. 26. She rear-ended a Ford F-350 that was stopped in the left lane of northbound traffic, according to an Arapahoe County Sheriff’s Office press release Friday. Immediately before that crash, another three-car crash occurred along the same section of the highway.

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Winter was the only one in her car. Her cause of death was determined to be multiple blunt force injuries sustained in the crash.

Winter’s blood alcohol level was 0.185 percent at the time. The threshold to be charged in Colorado with driving under the influence is 0.08 percent.

No criminal charges will be filed related to crash, the sheriff’s office said. That determination was made “after a thorough review of the evidence in coordination with the 18th Judicial District Attorney’s Office,” according to the press release.

The Ford F-350 did not have visible rear taillights but was driving with “due regard,” according to the sheriff’s office.

Winter died at the scene. The sheriff’s office determined that she was at fault for the crash.

In 2024, Winter stepped away from her legislative duties to get treatment for alcohol use disorder after she appeared intoxicated at a community meeting in Northglenn. It prompted a Senate Ethics Committee inquiry, and she was found to have failed chamber standards about promoting public integrity.

At her funeral earlier this month, loved ones remembered Winter as a champion for women interested in public service and elected office, as well as a committed mother to her two children.

A legislative vacancy committee will meet next week to determine who will replace Winter in Senate District 25.