DENVER ( KDVR ) — Authorities are seeing a trend of crashes caused by fatigued drivers on the rise on Colorado roads.
That trend has already continued into the new year. On Jan 1, two parents were killed and two kids were injured in a single-vehicle crash on U.S. 36 in Boulder County. Colorado State Patrol provided an update Friday saying that the family dog was also euthanized due to the extent of injuries sustained in the crash.
Parents die, children hospitalized after single-vehicle rollover crash on US 36
CSP said that the driver was asleep at the wheel, causing the deadly crash.
“The devastating crash on New Year’s Day is a horrible but poignant example of how lack of sleep can lead to a tragic consequence,” CSP chief Col. Matthew C. Packard said. “Fatigue physically and mentally impacts the abilities of a driver – it has effects on a driver’s attention span, judgment, coordination and reaction time.”
CSP has seen a rise in crashes caused by fatigued drivers in recent years. The agency said its troopers saw a “concerning jump” in crashes that resulted in death or injury that were attributed to driver fatigue and drivers asleep at the wheel in 2024.