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PRICE — A 54-year-old man is facing criminal charges after police say he crashed a utility task vehicle while drunk last year, killing a woman who was riding with him.
Bryan Carl Salzetti, of Helper, was charged Thursday in 7th District Court with automobile homicide, a second degree felony; possession or use of a controlled substance, a third degree felony; possession of drug paraphernalia, a class B misdemeanor; and having an open container in a vehicle, a class C misdemeanor.
Police responded to a crashed UTV that had rolled off the roadway in Helper on Nov. 30, court documents state. When officers arrived they found a woman pinned under the vehicle, unresponsive, according to the charges. Salzetti was conscious and complained of back pain.
Witnesses told police the woman was a passenger on the UTV and Salzetti was driving.
The woman was pronounced dead at the scene and the medical examiner later reported she died as a result of the crash, according to the charges. Salzetti was hospitalized and treated for a broken back as a result of the crash, police said.
According to the charges, Salzetti's blood alcohol level was .37 and contained tramadol, a prescription painkiller, at the time of the crash.
Salzetti pleaded guilty to DUI in two separate cases since 2004, according to court documents.
