A Texas trucker who killed two Grand Junction women when his rig hit their sport utility vehicle during a blizzard has pleaded guilty to two counts of vehicular homicide.
Richard E. Widmier, 64, of Burleson, Texas, will be sentenced Nov. 12 in the deaths of Ginger M. Gillespie, 48, and Lois A. Kelton, 77, according to the 18th Judicial District.
Neither alcohol nor drugs were suspected in the April 4, 2009, accident, but Widmier was going too fast for the road conditions, according to the Colorado State Patrol.
Authorities said Widmier was driving a tractor-trailer about 5:40 p.m. on Interstate 70 about 7 miles west of Limon in a blizzard.
Gillespie was driving a 2007 Jeep Liberty about 15 mph.
Widmier’s rig hit the Jeep at speeds estimated at between 56 and 63 mph.
After being hit by the rig, Gillespie’s Jeep spun sideways and collided with the rear of a 1998 Ford F-150 pickup driven by a 28-year-old man from Greeley.
The Jeep Liberty burst into flames with Gillespie and Kelton inside.
