A woman who seriously injured herself and her teenage daughter when she drove her pickup into Boulder Creek in December has been arrested for investigation of attempted murder and suicide.
Angela Gonzales, 34, of Lafayette is being held in Boulder County Jail in lieu of $25,000 bail, said Cmdr. Phil West of the Sheriff’s Office.
“It was a combination of an unstable mental situation and emotional situation compounded by alcohol,” West said.
The woman and her daughter, 13, were injured and hospitalized as a result of the crash Dec. 10 when the truck tumbled into the creek off Colorado 119 about 4 miles west of Boulder.
The wreck was initially investigated as an accident by the Colorado State Patrol, and alcohol was suspected as a factor.
Witnesses following the truck as it snaked toward Boulder said the driver made an erratic U- turn and raced away at a high rate of speed, losing control on a curve. Gonzales was thrown from the 1990 Chevrolet truck, but the girl remained buckled in her seat.
The daughter, whose name wasn’t released, subsequently told the district attorney’s office that it may have been an intentional act in an attempt to kill them both, West said.
The arrest culminates a five- month investigation that included interviews with the victim and witnesses and a technical reconstruction of the accident, leaving investigators feeling there was probable cause.
A warrant alleging the attempted second-degree murder of her daughter was obtained against Gonzales on Tuesday and she was arrested Wednesday, West said.
The girl has been placed with a foster family by the Department of Social Services, he said.
Staff writer Jim Kirksey can be reached at 303-820-1448 or jkirksey@denverpost.com.
