An Aneth, Utah, man who crashed on the West Fork Road on July 4, injuring four people, has pleaded guilty to a misdemeanor DUI and misdemeanor child abuse, according to the District Attorney’s office.
According to an accident report, Samuel Jelly, 24, of Aneth, Utah, was driving a Ford Explorer SUV southbound on County Road 38 (West Fork Road) when he crossed over the center line and went off the opposite side of the road. The SUV crashed into boulders and a grove a trees, stopping just yards from the West Dolores River.
He was returning from a family fishing trip, according to the report.
Two victims were minors. One was seriously injured and was airlifted to San Juan Regional Medical Center in Farmington, said Colorado State Trooper James Saunders. The other was taken to Southwest Memorial Hospital in Cortez. All the victims survived and have been released from the hospital.
As part of a plea bargain, some original charges against Jelly were dropped, including vehicular assault while driving under the influence, driving without a valid license, possessing an open container of alcoholic beverage, and driving without a proper child restraint.
A sentencing hearing is set for Nov. 8 at 2:30 p.m. in Montezuma County Court.
Dolores and Rico fire departments responded to the scene, as well as the Montezuma County Sheriff’s Office, Colorado State Patrol, Southwest Memorial Hospital and San Juan Regional Medical Center.
