James McDonald sentenced to 12 years in Colorado prison for vehicular homicide in I-25 crash
A Douglas County judge sentenced James McDonald to 12 years in prison for a deadly crash on I-25. The crash happened near the Douglas County Courthouse in Castle Rock on Nov. 18, 2022.
State troopers responded to a single-car rollover crash on northbound I-25 near exit 184 in the afternoon of Nov. 18, 2022. When they arrived, Colorado State Patrol troopers found a 2009 Mitsubishi Lancer on its side in a drainage ditch along the interstate.
Investigators determined the driver, McDonald, 33, was speeding and weaving in and out of traffic before losing control of his car and crashing into a guardrail. After crashing into the guardrail, the car became airborne and rolled before landing in the ditch. While the vehicle was airborne, the backseat passenger was thrown from the car.
McDonald and his two passengers were rushed to Sky Ridge Medical Center and several hours later, the backseat passenger who was thrown from the vehicle passed away from her injuries.
Investigators conducted an accident reconstruction and determined McDonald was traveling more than 100 mph in a 65 mph speed zone. Pre-crash data from the car's airbag module system documented speeds in excess of 106 mph prior to the airbags deploying. Witnesses reported the car was traveling at a high rate of speed prior to the crash.
McDonald and his front-seat passenger were wearing seatbelts but the backseat passenger was not wearing a seatbelt.
"This tragedy was 100% preventable," Deputy District Attorney Keegan Doheney said in a statement. "This defendant's selfish actions put the lives of everyone in that car in danger. It's a miracle no one else was killed."
McDonald was found guilty by a jury after a 3-day trial. He was sentenced to the maximum prison sentence under Colorado law.
"There was no logical reason this defendant needed to endanger his passengers and other innocent motorists on I-25 by driving more than 40 mph over the posted speed limit," Senior Deputy District Attorney Doug Bechtel said in a statement. "While no prison sentence can replace the sudden loss of a loved one, I hope this maximum sentence can bring some closure to the victim's family."
