Hannah Boemker’s iPod was in her car and her windows were rolled up when she collided with an ambulance in Boulder on May 1, according to an investigative report released Monday.
What remains unknown is whether Boemker was listening to her iPod at the time of the crash, which might have reduced her ability to hear the ambulance coming.
Boemker, 16, died at a hospital shortly after the accident.
The Boulder County District Attorney announced Monday that criminal charges won’t be filed against the driver of the ambulance, 27-year-old Kevin Shepard.
Shepard was responding to a fire call that ended up being a false alarm. Boemker was driving home from her part-time job at an assisted-living center.
Shepard was going 41 mph south on 30th Street from Colorado Avenue. The ambulance’s lights were on, and its siren was blaring.
Boemker had stopped at a stop sign before turning left from Euclid Avenue onto 30th Street at 16 mph.
The investigation shows that Shepard hit his brakes prior to the collision. It also showed that both drivers tried to avoid the crash, but corrected in the same direction and were unable to avoid each other.
Sgt. Pat Cillo of the Greenwood Village Police Department investigated the crash because he is an expert in the area of crashes involving emergency vehicles. Cillo noted that the size difference between the ambulance and Boemker’s Honda Civic and the location of the impact contributed to the deadly nature of the accident.
Last week, Boemker’s parents were advised of the results of the investigation.
In a prepared statement, they thanked the community for its support, caring thoughts and respect of their privacy.
Because of the crash, Boulder revised its policy with regard to fire emergencies. Ambulances are no longer allowed to speed to fires unless there is a clear indication of threat to life.
Staff writer Felisa Cardona can be reached at 303-820-1219 or fcardona@denverpost.com.
