EATON, Colo. — The Colorado State Patrol announced Thursday that investigators are looking at impairment as a possible factor in the single-vehicle crash that killed three recent Eaton High School graduates last weekend.
Troopers said investigators began examining impairment as a possible factor after finding both open and unopened alcoholic beverages inside the Chevy Tahoe.
However, troopers have not announced any findings regarding the driver's level of impairment.
The deadly rollover injured two other men as well, one critically, after all five occupants of the Tahoe were ejected during Saturday’s high-speed crash on Weld County Road 80 east of Ault in Weld County.
Three men — Jack Dirksen,19, Cash Rinker, 20, both from Eaton, and Cooper Nider, 20, from Greeley — were pronounced dead at the scene, CSP said.
The 20-year-old male driver from Wyoming was transported by air to a local hospital with critical injuries, and a fifth 19-year-old male occupant from Eaton, a recent graduate, was transported to a local hospital with minor injuries.
Investigators revealed earlier this week that speed was also a factor, contributing to the SUV losing control and rolling several times.
Less than 24 hours after the crash, the town of Eaton, with a population of 6,000, and the school district rallied to support the three young men’s family and a shaken community.
The community coming together was not surprising for Eaton School District Superintendent Todd Cordrey.
"This is an extremely tight-knit community. This is an incredibly unique community. In many ways, it has a feel like Mayberry. We all know each other. We all love each other. We support each other,” Cordrey told Denver7 Sunday.
Meanwhile, troopers continue working to determine exactly what led to the deadly crash.