Two young men and a boy were killed when they went off-road and vaulted into a gully that rolled their vehicle in a field Wednesday afternoon just north of Golden.
Authorities identified the victims as Stephen L. Sweet, 20, the driver of vehicle, and Jacob Payte, 28, also of Golden, who was a passenger.
The other passenger in the vehicle was a 15-year-old Golden boy, whose identity was withheld because he’s a juvenile, State Trooper Gilbert Mares said.
The accident happened about 2 p.m. on Colorado 93 near Colorado 58. The exact time is uncertain because the vehicle may have sat undetected in the tall grass for some time.
The three were in a red, open-topped 1988 Toyota 4Runner that was traveling northwest through tall, grassy terrain off Colorado 93, near a housing area, when it came upon the gully, Mares said. The vehicle hit the gully and flipped over onto its top.
All three passengers were not wearing seat belts and were ejected from the SUV, Mares said.
