State Sen. Faith Winter was legally intoxicated and at fault for the November car accident in which she was killed, Arapahoe County investigators said Friday.
Winter, 45, was killed after she rear-ended a pickup truck on Interstate 25 on Nov. 26. A toxicology report showed that her blood had an alcohol concentration of 0.185%, according to the Arapahoe County Coroner’s Office. In Colorado, the legal limit is 0.08%.
Winter’s car collided with the back of a Ford F-350, and while the truck did not have visible rear tail lights at the time of the crash, the truck driver had been driving “with due regard,” the sheriff’s office said. The investigation determined Winter was at fault.
No criminal charges will be filed in relation to the incident, the sheriff’s office said.
Winter, a Democrat who represented Broomfield in the legislature, had recently struggled with her health and with substance use.
After she appeared intoxicated at a community event last year, she apologized and entered substance use treatment before returning to the Capitol. She was reprimanded by legislative leadership for the incident. In 2023, she was hospitalized after crashing her bike while swerving to avoid a truck, and she had also been diagnosed with an autoimmune disease.
Winter is survived by her two children. In a statement Friday, Winter’s family and friends said they were “profoundly grateful that no other families lost a loved one because of this crash.” They wrote that Winter struggled with alcohol addiction but that it did not define her.
“We are heartbroken by this loss,” they wrote. “We appreciate the work of the Arapahoe County Sheriff’s Office and all responding agencies who acted the night of the crash and conducted a thorough investigation. We know this tragedy has deeply affected many, and we encourage people to seek support as they process this loss.”
The family said they were issuing the statement “with care and honesty, in the hope that it encourages compassion and connection for those who may be facing similar challenges.”
Spokespeople for legislative leadership did not immediately return a message seeking comment Friday.
At a funeral earlier this month, hundreds gathered to mourn Winter, who’d served in the state House and on the Westminster City Council before joining the Senate. Family, friends and elected officials — including Gov. Jared Polis — remembered Winter for her persistence, her love for her children, her efforts to encourage other women to run for office, and for the marquee policy achievements that she’d championed, including the state’s paid family leave program.
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