The moments before Colorado QB’s death — and the question his mom won’t let go
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A new report from the Colorado State Patrol includes new details about what happened in the moments before Colorado quarterback Dominiq Ponder died in a car crash in Boulder County on March 1. It also serves as a reminder that small decisions can have tragic consequences, including choices made by surviving friends, according to Ponder’s mother.
The report obtained by USA TODAY Sports includes a summary of an interview conducted by a state patrol trooper with Ponder’s mother, Catrina Hughes. She told the trooper she heard Ponder’s friends advised him against driving earlier that night because he had been drinking, according to the report. But Hughes told USA TODAY Sports this is based on hearsay and hasn’t been confirmed. Even if it is true, it wasn’t enough. She said friends share some responsibility when decisions are made about drinking and driving after a night of partying.
“Part of Dominiq’s legacy is encouraging young people to have the courage to act,” Hughes told USA TODAY Sports. “Don’t just tell your friend this or that. Act. If your friend is impaired, unsafe, or in any type of danger, call someone, anyone. Call their mom, call their dad, call their roommate, call your parents, call your coach, and worst case call 911. Physically take their keys, pull behind their car. There is a multitude of things that someone can do, if you just have the courage to do it.”
Ponder, 23, died in a single-car crash at about 3 a.m. March 1. His blood-alcohol content was 0.167, more than twice the legal limit in Colorado.
Before the accident, Ponder had been partying with teammates and friends in Denver and later ended up at the home of Colorado receiver Joseph Williams, according to the report. From there, Ponder left either to return home or to see a girlfriend. He never got there. Here is a timeline of what happened that night, according to Hughes and the report.
Timeline before Dominiq Ponder’s single-car accident
∎ Ponder and teammates took Uber ride-share vehicles to Dahlia, a nightclub in Denver. This was where Hughes believes Ponder and others were advised against driving home. But Hughes did not receive this information from a direct witness and has not spoken with teammates who were with him that night.
“Whether that’s true, I don’t know because it’s hearsay,” Hughes said.
∎ The group shared two Ubers back to Williams’ home. This was where Ponder then got in his black 2023 Tesla shortly before 3 a.m. Less than 30 minutes before he died, he also took videos of himself. “He does not look drunk,” Hughes said of the videos. “He seems fine. He’s chipper and happy.”
This also could explain why it didn’t seem like a big risk at the time for him to get behind the wheel. Maybe he didn’t look inebriated. But consuming any alcohol increases that risk.
“I guess it is safe to say if your friend doesn’t seem or look drunk you might not intervene more forcefully, but then if you’ve been with them all night you kinda have an idea of what they’ve done or consumed,” Hughes said.
Hughes said she has “so many unanswered questions” about that night, especially what could have been done to prevent it. There is no evidence in the report that anybody else besides Ponder was responsible for the crash. The report obtained by USA TODAY Sports focuses mostly on technical reasons and evidence for the crash itself, not where he consumed alcohol and with whom. Messages seeking comment from Colorado and Williams were not immediately returned.
Witness sees explosion in rearview mirror
Ponder was driving westbound on Baseline Road when a driver in a car going the other direction on the two-way street noticed a car passing him at a “high rate of speed.”
“I drove about another half mile and noticed a large explosion in my rearview mirror,” a witness said in a statement as part of the crash investigation. “I was at Baseline and 75th when I turned around in the church parking lot to go and check to see what the explosion/bright light was. Driving up to the scene, I noticed the car went off the road and came into contact with the light pole which caused transformer to blow. I assume. I then immediately called 911. Waited for police and firefighters to show up.”
Ponder was driving more than three times the speed limit
The speed limit there was 35 mph. The report concluded that Ponder was driving more than three times the speed limit with a blood-alcohol content of 0.167. Ponder failed to negotiate a right-hand curve, lost control of the car, broke through a guardrail and hit a power pole, according to the report from Trooper Kristopher Kuba.
“The crash is a result of excessive speed and impaired driving,” the report states.
The accident triggered an emergency response from firefighters, medical professionals, the Colorado State Patrol and the utility company to repair the power pole.
The driver was pronounced dead at the scene. He was identified by a CU Football ID Card as Dominiq Ponder.
Ponder’s ‘cautionary warning for other young people’
Ponder was scheduled to start spring football practice the next day under coach Deion Sanders. He was even scheduled to start wearing a new jersey number, No. 7, after previously wearing jersey No. 22 as a backup non-scholarship quarterback for the Buffaloes.
The team plans to honor him with a jersey patch this season as a beloved teammate who loved the game and the position he played.
“I just want people to know Dom was a beautiful soul loved by everyone that knew him,” Hughes said. “All I can hope for is that his story can serve as a cautionary warning for other young people to stop, think and make the right decisions.”
Ponder’s mother stresses the importance of intervention
His family also is starting foundation in his name and jersey numbers — the Dominiq Ponder 722 Foundation. Its mission is to fund scholarships for student-athletes who demonstrate resilience and character, community awareness initiatives about responsible decision-making, and support for children’s hospitals, according to its GoFundMe page.
His mother stressed the importance of intervening on behalf of friends even if it risks getting in trouble.
“A true friend would rather be angry with you tomorrow for possibly getting them or yourself in trouble instead of them being gone forever,” Hughes said in an email. “Saving a life and making the right call is something you’ll never regret! Being scared and fearful of getting in trouble shouldn’t prevent you from doing the right thing. Death is forever, getting in trouble is temporary. #doitfordom.”
A celebration of Ponder’s life also is planned in his home state of Florida on July 22, another nod to his jersey numbers, 7/22.
Follow reporter Brent Schrotenboer @Schrotenboer. Email: bschrotenb@usatoday.com
This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: New report details moments before Colorado QB Dominiq Ponder fatal car crash
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