Douglas County – A Colorado Springs man was killed early Sunday when a 16-year- old driver drifted into oncoming traffic on Colorado 83, just north of the El Paso County line.
Steven Mitchell, 34, was killed when a Ford Explorer driven by Daniel Stephen of Castle Rock struck the Ford Expedition that Mitchell was driving at about 1:50 a.m., according to Don Moseman, State Patrol public information officer.
Stephen was in critical condition Sunday at Swedish Medical Center in Englewood.
Mark Horney, 36, a passenger in Mitchell’s car, was in fair condition at Swedish, according to nursing supervisor Suzanne Winders.
An unidentified female passenger in Mitchell’s car was treated at the scene for minor injuries, Moseman said. Stephen had no passengers.
Moseman said Stephen might have violated teen driving laws prohibiting first-year motorists from driving between midnight and 5 a.m. unless they are traveling to or from work.
“Any law broken will be taken into account,” Moseman said. “The next step is to let the young man recover enough to answer questions.”
He said officers do not suspect alcohol, drugs or speeding to be factors, but they expect to spend at least two more days investigating and reconstructing the scene.
Staff writer Katherine Crowell can be reached at kcrowell@denverpost.com.
