“The cause is going to take some time to figure out,” Arapahoe County Sheriff Deputy John Bartmann said, per Colorado media outlets.
A truck was overturned next to multiple damaged vehicles on the closed highway, as shown in images taken by CBS Colorado.
The sheriff’s office reported that the road was cleared and reopened shortly before midnight.
Winter, 45, was first elected to the Colorado House of Representatives in 2014.
She won a seat in the state Senate in 2018, unseating Republican incumbent Beth Martinez Humenik in the race to represent the 24th Senate District.
After redistricting, she began representing the 25th Senate District in 2023 and was serving as assistant Senate majority leader, the chamber’s third-highest-ranking position. She was term-limited in 2026, said reports.
Winter is survived by her two children, Tobin and Sienna, and her fiancé, former state Rep. Matt Gray.
She was known as a strong advocate on transportation and environmental issues. At the time of her death, she chaired the Senate Transportation & Energy Committee and served on the Business, Labor & Technology and Local Government & Housing committees, according to her official Senate biography.
Winter held a degree in environmental management and biology from the University of Redlands, The Post noted.
Colorado Gov. Jared Polis (D) also responded to the lawmaker’s untimely death.
“Our state is shaken by the loss of Senator Faith Winter, and I send my deepest condolences to her children, loved ones, friends, and colleagues across our state,” Polis said. “Faith was a fierce advocate for hardworking Coloradans, women, and families, and our climate.
I’ve known Faith for nearly twenty years, first as an organizer for environmental causes and then expanding women’s representation and leadership, and finally, as a state senator.
“I have had the honor of working with her on many issues to improve the lives of every person and family in our great state, and tackling climate change. I am deeply saddened for her family, her friends and colleagues, and her community. Faith’s work and advocacy made Colorado a better state,” Polis added.
Colorado Secretary of State Jena Griswold called Winter a “fierce advocate” for the Centennial State.
“Faith Winter was a fierce advocate for her community and her state. She leaves a lasting legacy and will be missed. Our thoughts and condolences are with her family and loved ones,” Colorado Secretary of State Jena Griswold wrote on Facebook.
The Post said that a “party vacancy committee will determine who serves out the remaining year of Winter’s term.”
Colorado was one of several Democrat-run states that tried to keep then-former President Donald Trump off the 2024 ballot under a provision of the 14th Amendment. The effort proved unsuccessful, ultimately, after the Supreme Court ruled that the provision did not apply.
