Mom, son changing tire on highway hit and killed by drunk driver, Colorado family says

A 47-year-old woman accused of drunken driving slammed into a mother and son changing a tire along a Colorado highway, killing them, according to media reports.

Michelle Branch of Castle Rock faces two charges of vehicular manslaughter and a drunken driving charge in the fatal crash on Wednesday, Oct. 12, KUSA reported.

Amber and Elijah Villarreal of Aurora were killed after stopping on Interstate 25 to change a flat, KDVR reported. Amber Villareal also had two young daughters.

“I still have not processed the whole thing. My stomach turns everyday,” Jazzmin Kennedy, whose daughter is Elijah’s half-sister, told the station.

A Colorado state trooper had stopped to assist them on the shoulder of the highway just before the crash at 10:30 p.m., state police said in a news release.

The trooper told two people to get back in their vehicle for safety, the release said. As he walked away, a vehicle slammed into them and then crashed into a guardrail.

“He was helping her get back in the car,” Kennedy told KDVR. “He takes care of his mom. That’s why he was on the side of the road putting the tire back on, trying to fix the situation for his mom, because that’s his heart.”

Both were killed instantly, police said.

“Two lives ended due to one person’s choice to selfishly get behind the wheel while impaired,” Matthew C. Packard, chief of the Colorado State Patrol, said in the release. “This tragedy is another example of people failing to act responsibly, failing to make a plan for a sober ride, and failing to drive within their designated lane. Five lives changed in the blink of an eye and it didn’t have to happen.”

Castle Rock is a city of 73,000 about 30 miles south of Denver.

This story was originally published October 17, 2022 at 1:49 PM with the headline "Mom, son changing tire on highway hit and killed by drunk driver, Colorado family says."