A teen motorist who pleaded guilty to careless driving in the death of two young passengers last year died early Sunday in a rollover accident in Fort Collins.
Benjamin Moden, 18, of Berthoud, was killed after he was thrown from a 1998 Plymouth Voyager he was driving about 4 a.m., according to the Colorado State Patrol.
“We know what it feels like to lose a child,” said Tami Stillwell, mother of one of the children who died last year. “We are thinking of his mother and his father and the pain of what they are feeling. I would never, ever wish this on anyone. He made a choice and he made the wrong choice again.”
On Sunday, Moden was southbound on Interstate 25 at the time of the accident, according to Master Trooper Ron Watkins.
At one point, Moden lost control of the Voyager and ran off the road twice, Watkins said. Alcohol is a suspected factor in the accident, the trooper said.
Moden’s passenger, 21-year-old Joseph Darr of Loveland, was taken to Poudre Valley Hospital with serious injuries. He was also thrown from the Voyager.
Darr and Moden were not wearing seat belts, Watkins said.
The interstate was closed until 8:15 a.m. Sunday while troopers investigated the cause of the crash.
Moden’s family declined to comment on Sunday afternoon.
In May 2005, Moden was driving a Lexus when he ran a stop sign and struck a pickup truck near the intersection of Larimer County Road 4 and Weld County Road 1.
Two of his passengers – Shawntae Taylor, 15, and Kurtis Soeby, 18 – died after the accident. A third passenger, Brendon McBride, then 17, was severely injured. None were wearing seat belts. Moden was not charged with a drug or alcohol offense in the accident but drug paraphernalia was found in the car.
At the time of the accident, the three boys were students at Berthoud High School. Shawntae had just finished her freshman year at Webber Junior High in Fort Collins.
Pick up driver Leslie Mechem was also injured.
Moden pleaded guilty to two counts of careless driving resulting in death, careless driving resulting in injury and disregarding a stop sign at a through highway. A judge sentenced Moden in September 2005 to one year in jail that was served at home through electronic monitoring.
Stillwell, mother of Kurtis Soeby who attended Moden’s review hearing, said Moden completed the electronic monitoring in July and was allowed to drive because he had completed a required course.
Moden was also sentenced to five years probation that included he take a drug evaluation and complete 300 hours of community service.
“He was very remorseful,” said Stillwell. “He and Kurtis were friends from junior high. So, to him, he killed two friends.”
Stillwell said she heard of the accident on Sunday morning and tried to comprehend why it happened.
“Maybe he wanted to make the pain go away. It would take nothing to turn to alcohol,” Stillwell said. “God, I am so sorry if that is the way he felt. He still had a life and that is what we wanted, was for him to have a life and be a great person.”
Staff writer Felisa Cardona can be reached at 303-954-1219 or at fcardona@denverpost.com.
