Dem Senator Killed In Motor Vehicle Accident Over Thanksgiving
A Colorado state senator was killed Wednesday night in a multi-vehicle crash that also injured three others. State Sen. Faith Winter, a Democrat, was the only fatality in the five-car collision, which shut down part of a highway in Centennial shortly after 6 p.m., according to the Colorado Senate Democratic Caucus, the New York Post reported.
“We are devastated to learn of the passing of our colleague and friend, Senator Faith Winter. Today, our caucus grieves the loss of a dedicated public servant whose commitment to the people of Colorado never wavered,” Colorado Senate President James Coleman and Majority Leader Robert Rodriguez said in a joint statement.
The deadly accident occurred on Interstate 25 close to E Dry Creek Rd, situated 16 miles southeast of the Colorado State Capitol in Denver.
Three additional individuals sustained injuries in the collision. Authorities did not disclose the statuses of the other parties involved, according to the Colorado Sun. Police are still investigating the crash, reports said.
“The cause is going to take some time to figure out,” Arapahoe County Sheriff Deputy John Bartmann said, per Colorado media outlets.
A truck was overturned next to multiple damaged vehicles on the closed highway, as shown in images taken by CBS Colorado.
The sheriff’s office reported that the road was cleared and reopened shortly before midnight.
Winter, 45, was first elected to the Colorado House of Representatives in 2014.
She won a seat in the state Senate in 2018, unseating Republican incumbent Beth Martinez Humenik in the race to represent the 24th Senate District.
After redistricting, she began representing the 25th Senate District in 2023 and was serving as assistant Senate majority leader, the chamber’s third-highest-ranking position. She was term-limited in 2026, said reports.
Winter is survived by her two children, Tobin and Sienna, and her fiancé, former state Rep. Matt Gray.
She was known as a strong advocate on transportation and environmental issues. At the time of her death, she chaired the Senate Transportation & Energy Committee and served on the Business, Labor & Technology and Local Government & Housing committees, according to her official Senate biography.
Winter held a degree in environmental management and biology from the University of Redlands, The Post noted.
Colorado Gov. Jared Polis (D) also responded to the lawmaker’s untimely death.
