A Colorado Springs man has been sentenced to 21 years in prison roughly two years after he was arrested for reckless driving that resulted in the death of a Breckenridge 3-year-old and injured others.

During a hearing in Park County court last month, Judge Amanda Hunter sentenced Juan Huante-Juarez, 39, on a charge of reckless child abuse resulting in death, a Class 2 felony, according to court documents.

Huante-Juarez pleaded guilty Nov. 6 to the charge, court documents state. As part of the plea deal, the 11th Judicial District Attorney’s Office agreed to dismiss a charge of murder extreme indifference, a Class 1 felony; two counts of first degree assault with extreme indifference, Class 3 felonies; reckless driving resulting in vehicular homicide, a Class 4 felony; and reckless vehicular assault, a Class 5 felony, according to court documents.

Around 5:30 p.m., Nov. 9, 2021, the fatal crash occurred on Colorado Highway 9 near mile marker 72, which is located in Park County about a mile north of Alma, according to an arrest affidavit filed in court. 

Huante-Juarez was driving his Chevrolet Silverado southbound while actively passing in a no passing zone when he collided head-on with a 2014 Honda Pilot, court documents state. The 32-year-old driver of the Honda Pilot reportedly had three passengers, a 5-year-old, a 3-year-old and a 10-month-old baby.

Three-year-old Elli Goodman was initially thought to have died at the scene, but a nurse revived her. She was flown by helicopter to Children’s Hospital Colorado in Aurora, court documents state. Goodman reportedly died at the hospital about a week later from injuries sustained in the crash.

The driver of the Honda suffered serious injuries, while the 5-year-old passenger suffered moderate injuries and the 10-month-old was uninjured, according to the Colorado State Patrol’s traffic crash report on the incident. Huante-Juarez reportedly suffered serious injuries and his passenger suffered minor injuries.

Through the investigation, a Colorado State Trooper learned that about a mile north of the crash, Huante-Juarez began to legally pass eight or nine vehicles over a single-dashed yellow line, according to court documents.

One of the drivers who Huante-Juarez passed told state patrol that Huante-Juarez was “passing dangerously” while driving between 70-75 mph when he dipped into the left lane to pass three or four vehicles and then four or five more, court documents state. The speed limit in the area was reportedly 55 mph.

Another witness also passed by Huante-Juarez reportedly told law enforcement that the driver was in complete control of the truck, driving around 70 mph while passing, before colliding head-on with the Honda Pilot.

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A third witness who had been passed said Huante-Juarez “flew” by him, that there was plenty of room for the truck to move back into the right lane but it decided to pass another vehicle then crashed into the Honda Pilot as it crested the hill, according to court documents.

The witness told police that the white truck was “100% at fault” and was “completely reckless and put many lives in danger,” court documents state. The state trooper wrote in court documents that he can “confidently” state that the Chevrolet Silverado was actively passing vehicles for 900 feet in an illegal passing zone, the equivalent of about 8 or 9 seconds of travel in the opposite lane.

Huante-Juarez’s passenger told law enforcement that the two had left Breckenridge around 5 p.m. and travel a few times a week between where they work in Summit County and their homes in Colorado Springs, court documents state.

Huante-Juarez told state patrol that he had been getting sleepy and had been asleep for 30 seconds just before the crash, court documents state. But the state trooper wrote in court documents that it is his opinion that Huante-Juarez was “attempting to be misleading” and noted that his vehicle’s Event Data Recorder reported 100% throttle just before the crash indicating an “active input” from the driver.

The Silverado’s Event Data Recorder also indicated the driver was traveling at 78 mph just 4 seconds before the collision but was able to brake to about 40 mph before colliding with the Honda, which was traveling 55 mph about 5 seconds before collision, court documents state.

Huante-Juarez had his learner’s permit and did not hold a driver’s license at the time of the collision, according to court documents. His passenger reportedly did not hold a driver’s license either.

As part of Huante-Juarez’s plea deal, the District Attorney’s Office also agreed to dismissed two counts of reckless child abuse, Class 1 misdemeanors, reckless third degree assault causing injury, a Class 1 misdemeanor; reckless endangerment, a Class 3 misdemeanor; and several traffic infractions, documents state.