‘We carry this grief with us forever’: sister of Colorado DUI victim issues warning ahead of St. Patrick’s Day celebrations

COLORADO SPRINGS, Colo. (KKTV) - With many planning on starting their St. Patrick’s Day celebrations the weekend before, authorities and advocates are urging people avoid getting behind the wheel if they’re not sober.

Mothers Against Drunk Driving Colorado advocate and Denver resident Clara Shelton said she hopes the story of her late brother Sam can illustrate just how serious the consequences of impaired driving can be.

She said Sam, an 18-year-old freshman at CU Boulder, was heading back to campus in the fall of 2015 when the car he was riding in was hit by a drunk and drugged driver.

The crash put Sam in a coma, one he would stay in until his death 10 weeks later.

“I was excited for his college experience and the person he was becoming, and all the exciting things that were ahead in his life, and you don’t really expect to lose your siblings,” Shelton said. “We just carry this grief with us forever.”

She said there is no reason for anyone to drive impaired, something that will likely happen on a holiday weekend like St. Patrick’s Day.

“It can come out of nowhere and change your life, change your family’s life in just a second,” Shelton said. “People talk about luck and rely on luck to get them through, and that is not the way to make it through St. Patrick’s Day.”

According to the U.S. Department of Transportation, 290 people died in alcohol-impaired-driving crashes during the St. Patrick’s Day holiday between 2018 and 2022.

Those at the Colorado Springs Police Department said, while they’re hoping people make the right decision, they’re ready to catch any drunk or drugged drivers.

“Even if someone is not specifically assigned to a DUI detail, that doesn’t mean if a patrol officer notices a vehicle driving or driver behaving erratically, they’re certainly not going to check into that and look at it,” Public Relations Manager Ira Cronin said.

He said CSPD officers handed out more than 1,100 DUI citations in 2024. In January of 2025 alone, police have made 84 DUI/DUIDD arrests.

Cronin said there are so many reasons not to drink and drive. First, the cost of a DUI ticket in Colorado can come out to more than $13,500.

“And that’s not including the time you need to take off work to go to court, and make all your other arrangements, and what may happen to your insurance rates after you have a DUI on your record,” he said.

But Cronin said that’s nothing compared to what happens if an impaired driver gets into a crash.

“If you’re really lucky, it only involves you, and you’re not badly hurt or your car is not too badly damaged, but it could involve someone else, and then you’re really talking about some serious consequences,” he said.

Cronin said there have been four fatal crashes in Colorado Springs since the beginning of 2025, one of which was DUI-involved.

“Be safe, please make responsible choices,” he said. “We just want to wave at you as you go by on the road and tell you, ‘Happy St. Patrick’s Day.‘”

If you see a driver you believe is impaired, you can report them directly to the Colorado State Patrol by calling *277.

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