Niraj Gautam After Fatal DUI Crash: "What the F*ck, the Other Person is Dead?"

The current Facebook profile pic for eighteen-year-old Niraj Gautam features him flipping off the camera inside a car behind the superimposed phrase "Frontseat Freestyles."

Under most circumstances, the image would be unobjectionable.

But its timing is unfortunate given the allegations Gautam is facing.

He's been formally charged with vehicular homicide while drunk — and the accident is said to have taken place when he tried flipping a U-turn in the middle of a highway.

The crash reportedly took place at around 3 a.m. on Saturday, March 12, near the intersection of Highway 287 and Dillon Road in Lafayette. The area is captured in the following interactive graphic; if you have problems seeing the image, click "View on Google Maps."


An affidavit accessed by the Boulder Daily Camera says Gautam told responding officers that he'd been trying to make a U-turn when he collided with the other vehicle.

"What the fuck, the other person is dead?" he's quoted as asking after being told the other driver hadn't survived."

At the scene, Gautam refused to undergo a breathalyzer test.

But he was taken into custody on suspicion of drunk driving because the cops detected the smell of alcohol and noticed that his eyes were watery and bloodshot — and he didn't exactly ace the roadside maneuvers routine, the cops maintain.


He was later subjected to a blood draw.

The results have not yet been made public.

The victim in the crash was Loretta Avalos, 65, who was memorialized in a Facebook post from Lafayette's St. Carmen Community Center.

"We are heartbroken at SCCC this week," the post notes before adding that Avalos "volunteered at SCCC for over twenty years. We thank you, we love you, and we will miss you more than you know, Loretta. Rest in peace."

Avalos's funeral is set for 11 a.m. tomorrow, March 18, at Holy Cross Catholic Church, 9371 Wigham Street in Thornton. For more information, click here.

Meanwhile, Gautam faces a slew of charges, including vehicular homicide while under the influence of drugs or alcohol, DUI, DUI per se and false reporting.

His next court date is set for May 5.

We send our sincere condolences to the friends, family and loved ones of Loretta Avalos.