FORT CARSON, Colo.—A soldier returning to Colorado from Iraq received grim news as soon as he arrived—his father died in a car crash on his way to greet him.
The Colorado State Patrol says that 55-year-old Donnie Ferguson died Wednesday on Interstate 76 near Brush, in northeastern Colorado. Ferguson was on his way from Midlothian, Ill., to Fort Carson to greet his 23-year-old son. Army Pfc. Chris Ferguson returned Thursday from a yearlong deployment to Iraq.
Authorities say the deadly accident happened when the soldier’s mom, 46-year-old Carole Ferguson, lost control of the car. Carole Ferguson faces a misdemeanor count of careless driving causing death.
The soldier’s mother-in-law, Dawn Frazier, told an Illinois newspaper that the younger Ferguson is distraught.
“My son-in-law comes home from Iraq expecting to see a happy family, and he has a tragedy facing him,” Frazier told the Southtown Star newspaper. She said that the older Ferguson also served in the U.S. Army.
Colorado State Patrol Trooper Scott Boskovich said Carole Ferguson simply ran off the road.
“She was talking to her husband, next thing she was off the side of the road and rolling,” Boskovich said.
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Information from: KUSA-TV,
