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Kitten Blamed For Fatal Weld County Crash

Best Friend Dies When Driver Loses Control, Crashes

POSTED: 11:31 a.m. MST November 10, 2003

A Weld County teenager died Sunday when he reached under a clutch pedal to retrieve a kitten and his best friend lost control, rolling the pickup truck.

The Colorado State Patrol said that Lee Calvert, 17, wasn't wearing a seat belt and was ejected in the crash on U.S. Highway 85, south of Gilcrest, Colo., Sunday morning.

The driver, Lonnie J. Jurray, 19, of Greeley was also not wearing a seat belt and was injured when he was partially ejected from the rolling pickup truck. The Colorado State Patrol was waiting for blood tests to determine if alcohol may have been a factor in the crash.

Murray faces a charge of careless driving causing death, which is a misdemeanor, according to Trooper Russ Zeller of the Colorado State Patrol. Zeller said if blood-alcohol testing shows Murray had been drinking, he could face a charge of vehicular homicide.

According to Zeller, three kittens belonging to Calvert were in the cab of the truck and one climbed under the clutch pedal. When Calvert reached down to retrieve the kitten, Murray lost control of the pickup.

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