THURSDAY UPDATE FROM DENVERPOST.COM: The Colorado State Patrol today identified the high school teenager killed in Wednesday’s fatal crash near Berthoud as Shawntae Taylor, 15, of Fort Collins.
Troopers said Kurtis Soeby, 18, and Brendon McBride, 16, both of Berthoud, were injured in the collision of their car with a pickup truck.
Also injured was the teenage boy driving the car. Authorities did not identify the boy.
Two people were killed and three were critically injured in two separate wrecks in northern Colorado on Wednesday.
A high school teenager died Wednesday afternoon when the car she was riding in collided with a truck southeast of Berthoud. The girl’s name was not released pending notification of her family.
In that crash, four teens in a 1991 Lexus were traveling east on County Road 4 in Larimer County near Berthoud when the Lexus collided with a 2003 Dodge Ram pickup traveling north on Weld County Road 1, Colorado State Patrol spokesman Eric Wynn said.
The pickup was driven by Leslie Mechem, 68, of Berthoud. He was treated at the scene and sent home.
Three teens in the car were critically injured. Two were flown to Poudre Valley Hospital in Fort Collins, and one was flown to McKee Medical Center in Loveland.
The teens were not wearing seat belts and drug paraphernalia were found in the car, Wynn said.
Authorities said the Lexus did not stop at a stop sign.
Stephanie Bender, who lives 20 feet from the scene, said she heard the wreck and saw dust come up from the crash.
“I heard the impact, and I looked out and ran out and dialed 911,” she said. “I saw the body of a young man lying in a field who was actually moving.”
Bender said she has complained to both Weld and Larimer counties about the road that splits the two jurisdictions. It is common for people to go too fast in that area and ignore posted stop signs, she said.
“It was just a matter of time before it was going to happen,” she said.
“A lot of traffic is on County Line Road, where the speed limit is 45, but people go about 70-plus,” she said. “The dirt road is frequently used by people traveling too fast. It’s an amazing recipe for disaster.”
Bender said she hopes teens realize they are not immortal.
“There are three children lying in hospitals with families hoping they make it through,” she said. “And there is a young woman dead whose family does not even have a chance for hope.”
In the other accident, a vehicle rolled over on Colorado 37 near Greeley. One person died in that accident, Wynn said. No other information was available.
Staff writer Felisa Cardona contributed to this report.
Staff writer Daarel Burnette II can be reached at 303-820-1473 or dburnette@denverpost.com.
