SUMMIT COUNTY, Colo. — A Summit County woman was sentenced Monday to 16 years in prison for drunkenly crashing into another vehicle last year, killing two people, officials said.
Lindsey Leigh Ward, 32, pleaded guilty in April to two counts vehicular homicide, according to the Fifth Judicial District Attorney's Office.
Authorities said Ward admitted to drinking on Aug. 30, the day of the fatal crash on Colorado Highway 9 near Breckenridge. Benjamin Mitton, 41, and Nichole Gough, 43, died in the head-on collision.
Ward was driving southbound on Highway 9 when she crossed the center dividing line and entered northbound traffic, authorities said.
Earlier in the day, Ward was drinking at the Breckenridge Golf Course and later picked up beer and tequila on her way home, before the crash. Her blood alcohol level was .29, more than three times the legal driving limit, according to the district attorney's office.
Ward received medical treatment after the crash and was taken into custody by Colorado State Patrol.
"Ms. Ward made the decision to drink, and the decision to get behind the wheel," deputy district attorney Stephanie Cava said in a statement. "Had she not, then this crash could have been prevented. The heartache expressed by the families today is unimaginable, and something no one in our community should ever have to suffer."