FORT COLLINS, Colo. — The man suspected of killing one person after driving his pickup truck onto a sidewalk in Old Town Fort Collins in late August was charged Friday with several counts, including vehicular homicide, the Larimer County District Attorney’s Office announced Friday.
Van Lemaster, 88, of Cheyenne, Wyoming, was charged with one count of vehicular homicide, two counts of reckless endangerment and four counts of vehicular assault. He was booked Friday into the Larimer County Jail on those charges, according to a news release.
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The fatal crash along Mountain Avenue on Aug. 29 happened at the height of the city's Tour de Fat celebration, an annual costume bicycle festival that brings thousands of bicyclists to Old Town.
Police said Lemaster drove onto the sidewalk and struck multiple people as the event was underway. Six people, including Lemaster, were taken to the hospital.
A preliminary investigation into the deadly crash shows Lemaster reversed from a parking spot along Mountain Avenue, hitting another vehicle. It then drove forward onto the sidewalk, hitting pedestrians before colliding with a tree and coming to a stop.
Investigators ruled out impairment as a factor in the crash, according to Friday’s news release.
"This was an incredibly tragic crash that affected many in our community. Our entire agency will continue to be there for all who were impacted and support them as this case progresses through the criminal justice system,” said Fort Collins Police Chief Jeff Swoboda in a statement. “I’m grateful for the diligence, professionalism, and thoroughness that our agency displayed while both responding to this incident and the subsequent investigation."
Lemaster is being held on a $75,000 cash/surety bond.
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