Bryan Kirby Sentenced For Causing Deadly Crash As He Livestreamed Himself Speeding On E-470
BRIGHTON, Colo. (CBS4) A Colorado driver is headed to prison for killing another driver while livestreaming himself speeding down E-470. Bryan Kirby caused the crash on Oct. 13, 2018.
"Cases like this make me angry," said District Attorney Brian Mason of the 17th Judicial District. "It was totally preventable."
Kirby, 44, was on Facebook livestreaming video of his speedometer as it reached speeds up to 167 miles per hour. He was also replying to comments on that livestream. At one point Kirby hit the back of another sedan, causing a collision that killed Robert Hamilton, the 67-year-old driver. Kirby fled the scene but was eventually arrested.
"It's outrageous, it's outrageous to me that anyone would be driving that fast to begin with, much less live streaming themselves while they're driving," Mason told CBS4 on Friday. "Put your phone down when you're driving and for heaven's sake, don't ever live stream yourself while you're driving, it's just too dangerous."
On July 15, 2021, an Adams County Jury convicted Kirby of three felony counts including: vehicular homicide, reckless manslaughter and leaving the scene of an accident causing death. The judge's sentence for him of 15 years in prison, was announced Friday.
"This family is devastated, this family will always be devastated, their loved one should be alive today," Mason said of those who were related to Hamilton. "You have to put your phone down when you're driving, you just have to."
Mason worries that while this is one of the most egregious cases he has ever prosecuted, he sees the potential for more deadly crashes daily.
"We're addicted to our phones, we can't get enough of them," he said. "I look at the drivers around me and I see people on their phones and they are all accidents waiting to happen."