Estimated read time: 2-3 minutes
- Colby William Bia, 24, was charged with automobile homicide after a fatal crash in Salt Lake City.
- Bia allegedly ran a red light, killing Ernesto Puga and injuring his daughter.
- Prosecutors cite Bia's DUI history, requesting he be held without bail pending trial.
SALT LAKE CITY — A Salt Lake man with a history of driving while impaired is now facing charges accusing him of causing a fatal crash.
Colby William Bia, 24, was charged Monday in 3rd District Court with automobile homicide, a second-degree felony; negligently operating a vehicle causing serious injury and obstruction of justice, third-degree felonies; refusing a DUI test, a class A misdemeanor; interfering with police, driving on a suspended license and being an alcohol restricted driver, class B misdemeanors; and having an open container of alcohol in his car, a class C misdemeanor.
About 7:15 p.m. on April 5, Bia was speeding in a Dodge Charger when he ran a red light at the intersection of 900 West and 200 South and T-boned another vehicle making a left turn, according to charging documents. The driver of the second vehicle, Ernesto Puga, 42, was killed, and Puga's 10-year-old daughter sustained "substantial injury" and was taken to a local hospital.
Officers arrived to find Bia still in his vehicle and yelling obscenities "at multiple witnesses standing around the vehicle," the charges state. Police had to pull Bia out of his car and reported that they immediately noticed signs of impairment, including "containers of alcohol on the floorboards of his vehicle."
While taking Bia to the police department to conduct a DUI test, he "continued to interrupt officers, refusing to answer questions and continued yelling" obscenities and making statements such as, "I knew I was DUI" and "My life is over," the charges state.
Investigators determined that Bia entered the intersection 34 seconds after the light had turned red and was traveling at 70 mph right before the crash, according to the charges. The speed limit in that area is 25 mph.
Prosecutors also noted Bia's criminal history, including pleading guilty to impaired driving in 2023, and then "less than six months following his guilty plea, and while on probation in connection with the 2023 case, (he) was subsequently charged with driving under the influence, (being an) alcohol restricted driver, and driving on a suspended or revoked license, (in addition to) a railroad gate crossing infraction in connection with an incident on June 1, 2024. During this incident, (Bia) who appeared to bystanders to be passed out at the wheel, drove through a railroad crossing arm and into the side of a moving Union Pacific train."
Prosecutors have requested that Bia be held in the Salt Lake County Jail without the possibility of posting bail pending trial.
