A woman from Fort Collins was killed Monday afternoon when she slammed head-on into an SUV on Timberline Road.
23-year-old Jessica Whipple was the passenger of a Honda Civic hatchback which was being driven by 29-year-old Daniel Derby. The Civic apparently made a sudden pass at the center line which clipped an oncoming sedan and then hit a Ford Explorer around 2:30 p.m.
The Poudre Fire Authority firefighters extricated Whipple and Derby from their vehicle and were transported to Poudre Valley Hospital emergency medical technicians.
Whipple was pronounced dead at the hospital, say police. Derby was listed as being in serious condition on Monday night.
Timberline police closed the highway for about five hours while they investigated the crash scene. The driver of the Ford Explorer suffered moderate injuries from the crash, but the impact was so hard that the Explorer’s license plate was stuck to the Honda’s front bumper.
Firefighters cut the Honda’s roof in order to remove Whipple and Derby.
Police and traffic Sgt. Joel Tower are investigating whether or not drugs or alcohol played a role in the crash.
There apparently were no skid marks in the area from neither the Honda nor Ford.
The speed limit in the area of the crash was 45 mph.
Derby has been prosecuted twice before as being a habitual traffic offender by the Larimer County District Attorney’s office but both charges have been dropped for a plea of a lesser charge, says the Colorado court records.
Derby pleaded guilty to driving with his license being revoked in 2009 and had to spend 60 days inside the county jail. He was also put in jail in 2003 after being caught twice without a valid driver’s license.
It is still unclear as to whether or not Derby had a valid driver’s license on Monday night or not.
