DENVER—The Colorado State Patrol has completed its investigation into what caused a nine-minute delay in sending a trooper to a December crash—a delay that was followed by a fatal crash in the same spot.
The agency took administrative action against four employees at the Pueblo dispatch center after concluding that at least one dispatcher was watching a Christmas movie on a company laptop at the time.
An independent review by the district attorney’s office found no criminal laws were violated. Spokeswoman Kathleen Walsh said Colorado has no laws imposing duties on dispatchers.
A caller reported at 1:37 a.m. on Dec. 17 that a car was disabled after striking a deer on Interstate 25 near Fountain in El Paso County. The car was in a traffic lane with no lights or flashers.
A trooper was dispatched at 1:46 a.m.
At 1:50 a.m., an Arizona woman lost control of her SUV as she approached the sedan. She died at the scene. Her passenger was injured.
Walsh said it remains unknown whether the crash would have occurred had the police arrived on the scene earlier.
