Alcohol was the main factor in a fatal car accident that left two people dead Jan 27 in the village of Superior.
Toxicology results showed the driver of one of the vehicles, Harry A. Wilson of Superior, had a blood alcohol concentration, more than twice the legal limit, according to a Douglas County Sheriff's Department report.
Wilson, 49, was northbound on Tower Avenue about 5 p.m. he lost control of his Explorer when his Explorer lost control and spun sideways into the path of a southbound Ford Escape driven by Joan Radzak, 46, of rural Superior. Wilson's passenger, 41-year-old Frances Emily Jones of Superior, was thrown from the vehicle and pinned under it. Both she and Wilson were pronounced dead at the scene. Neither was wearing a seat belt.
Deputy Jake Engleman stated in the report there were secondary factors that led to the crash, including slushy road conditions, poor quality tires and the fact that the Explorer's four wheel drive selector switch was broken and was not engaged. But many other drivers were navigating through the weather without losing control.
"The primary factor for the crash can be contributed to Wilson's blood alcohol concentration," Engleman wrote.
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He also noted in the report there was no evidence that Radzak could have avoided the crash. She spent the weekend in the hospital and broke bones in her foot and arm from the crash.
The deadly crash took place the same day the Telegram reported Jones was accused of being involved in an identity-theft ring allegedly responsible for stealing more than $2 million.
