Inset: Joshua Douglass, pictured in his Legacy.com obituary. Background: News footage showing the aftermath of the crash that killed Douglass and injured several others (KCNC).
An 88-year-old Colorado man is facing multiple felony charges after investigators said he drove his pickup truck toward a group of pedestrians following a bicycling event.
Van Lemaster has been charged with felony vehicular homicide, four counts of vehicular assault and two counts of reckless endangerment in connection with a car crash that killed 33-year-old Joshua Douglass on Aug. 29. Court documents obtained by the local outlet Cowboy State Daily say Lemaster was driving a Chevrolet Silverado that day as he and an unidentified woman prepared to leave after lunch at a Fort Collins restaurant.
Fort Collins was hosting its annual Tour de Fat that day, a costumed bicycle parade and festival. Several cyclists were passing through the area as Lemaster attempted to reverse his pickup from a parking space.
MUST READ: Airman Killed in 150-Foot Fall at College Football Game Identified
Police said Lemaster was not intoxicated, and investigators found no mechanical defect in the truck. Although the precise reason for the alleged acceleration remained unclear, authorities concluded that Lemaster’s driving was reckless. Investigators also said he overrode the pickup’s automatic braking system and accelerated aggressively toward people nearby.
Lemaster was reportedly booked Friday, but his name did not appear on the Larimer County Jail inmate roster. Cowboy State Daily reported that his bond was set at $75,000. His next court hearing was scheduled for Oct. 22.
The post 88-year-old man allegedly overrode his pickup truck’s automatic brakes and “aggressively” accelerated into a group of people eating ice cream, killing one, police say, first appeared on Law & Crime.
MUST READ: Bryony Gordon: Thank Heavens Meghan Markle Is Back