A preliminary report says Colorado state Sen. Suzanne Williams, D-Aurora, picked up her 3-year-old grandson from the road after he was ejected in a fatal accident and put him in a child safety seat in her car.
The report released Wednesday by the Texas Department of Public Safety said that her two grandchildren were lying down in the back of her 2010 Honda CR-V at the time of impact, neither secured by safety belts. Both suffered only minor injuries.
Brianna Michelle Gomez, 30, of Amarillo, Texas, who was seven months pregnant, was killed in the Dec. 26 crash. The woman’s son, Curran Blaec Gomez, survived after being delivered by cesarean section. Williams’ son, Todd, was seriously injured in the crash after he was ejected along with one of his sons.
Williams’ attorney, David Lane, said that following the accident, Williams picked up her grandson and placed him in his seat strictly out of concern for his well- being.
“She has no recollection of doing it,” Lane said. “Anyone who would infer a coverup because she did what any grandmother would do, by picking her grandson up and placing him in a comfortable seat, is a very cynical person.”
A Texas grand jury is set to begin hearing evidence from the crash to decide what, if any, charges should be brought.
Asked whether Williams has considered resigning from her position on the Senate Transportation Committee, Lane said the subject has not come up between them.
“Her concern is with the Gomez family and her son, and that’s it,” he said.
Senate President Brandon Shaffer, D-Longmont, said Williams’ status on the Transportation Committee is under consideration.
“I understand she’ll be back on Friday, and my plan is to sit down with her and visit. We will be making a statement one or the other on that specific question following that conversation, but I’m not prepared to talk about that now,” Shaffer said.
Williams, 65, maintains that she has no memory of the collision, according to Lane.
A day after the crash, however, Williams briefly talked with Rep. Nancy Todd, D-Aurora, and told her that her son was in the back seat trying to get her grandsons in their pajamas and belted back up when the accident happened.
When asked about how Williams was able to recall those details for Todd, Lane said he could not comment.
About 6:30 p.m. Dec. 26, Williams’ vehicle veered into the southbound traffic lane of U.S. 385 while crossing a bridge near Channing, in the Texas Panhandle, the state report says. She crashed head on into Gomez’s GMC Yukon, the report said.
Trooper Gabriel Medrano said that in addition to having passengers not wearing seat belts, Williams also did not have proof of auto insurance and has not yet provided it in the investigation.
Lane said he is confident that all evidence will show that Williams was not impaired by drugs or alcohol and was not texting or using her cellular phone when the accident happened.
“Sometimes tragedies occur, and that does not mean a crime has occurred,” Lane said. “Sometimes, there are simply accidents.”
Kirk Mitchell: 303-954-1206 or kmitchell@denverpost.com
