A Colorado State Patrol investigation has concluded that texting, road conditions, vehicle speed and the fact that Megan Schneider wasn’t wearing a seat belt contributed to the pickup crash that claimed her life on Interstate 76 on Thursday.
Trooper David Hall said Monday that investigators inspected Schneider’s 2005 Toyota pickup and found nothing wrong with the vehicle.
As a result, Hall said the patrol has concluded that Schneider’s texting, extremely icy road conditions, the speed she was driving and her failure to wear a seat belt contributed to the accident.
Hall said Schneider, a teacher at the Thomson Primary School in Brush, lost control of the vehicle 6 miles west of Brush about 7:25 a.m.
He said because of the icy road conditions, the State Patrol is not sure exactly what speed Schneider was driving. But the fact she lost control is evidence that she was driving too fast for the road conditions, said Hall.
He said the road was covered with patches of ice and snow early Thursday when Schneider crashed.
The pickup rolled two-and-half-times. Schneider was pronounced dead at the scene.
Investigators recovered Schneider’s cellphone and determined that she sent a test message at 11 seconds after 7:25 a.m.
The trooper said the first 911 call reporting the accident was made by another motorist at 59 seconds after 7:25 a.m.
Donna Howell, superintendent for the Brush School District, said this was Schneider’s first year of teaching in the district.
Schneider was teaching pre-schoolers and was also the girl’s softball coach at Brush High School.
Schneider lived in Fort Morgan.
Howard Pankratz: 303-954-1939 or hpankratz@denverpost.com
