A woman has been jailed over a crash in Broomfield that killed two people

BROOMFIELD, Colo. – A woman who admitted driving under the influence and crashing into a broken-down car, killing two family members, has been sentenced to more than two decades in prison.

Dusti Arensdorf, 43, pleaded guilty in April to two counts of vehicular homicide – DUI and one count of vehicular assault – DUI in connection with the crash that killed Shuangyue Chen, 71, and his daughter-in-law Yajing Liu , 35.

The crash occurred around 10:15 p.m. on Oct. 6 last year on Interstate 25 between 144th Avenue and Highway 7 in Broomfield.

Chen and his son, Liu’s husband, were on the side of the highway in front of their vehicle replacing a flat tire when the accident occurred. Chen was hit and killed. Liu was in the vehicle with her 3-year-old son when the accident occurred. The 17th Judicial District Attorney’s Office said she was ejected from the vehicle and died at the scene.

The prosecutor’s office said Liu’s husband and son were seriously injured in the crash but survived.

Witnesses say that moments before the accident, Arensdorf was driving erratically and aggressively, weaving in and out of traffic at speeds of over 100 mph.

As she was removed from the vehicle, witnesses said Arensdorf’s breath smelled of alcohol. She admitted to investigators that she had had “several stiff drinks” that evening, the district attorney’s office said.

After Arensdorf’s accident, blood was taken at the hospital and his blood alcohol level was 0.343, more than four times the legal limit.

“The defendant’s choices to drink and drive completely devastated an innocent family,” said District Attorney Brian Mason. “It was a terrible, unspeakable crime – and it was a horrific crime scene that no one should ever see. As a result of the accused’s gross actions, the mother and grandfather were taken away from the little child. Let this be another terrifying example of the dangers of driving under the influence of alcohol. We need to strengthen our motor vehicle homicide laws and increase penalties for those who drive under the influence of alcohol and kill other people in the process, as happened in this case. My sincere, heartfelt condolences go to the family of these innocent victims.”

“This senseless tragedy has taken an emotional toll on everyone involved, including the first responders who helped assess and investigate the crash site,” said Broomfield Police Chief Enea Hempelmann.

Arensdorf has three prior DUI convictions. On May 31, the judge sentenced her to 24 years in prison and three years of parole.

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