Charges: Driver in fatal Salt Lake crash was speeding, ran light well after it turned red

SALT LAKE CITY — A Salt Lake City man with a troubling history of impaired driving is now facing serious criminal charges following a deadly crash earlier this month. Colby William Bia, 24, has been charged in 3rd District Court with multiple offenses, including automobile homicide (a second-degree felony), negligent operation of a vehicle causing serious injury, obstruction of justice (both third-degree felonies), and several misdemeanors ranging from refusing a DUI test to driving on a suspended license and having an open container of alcohol in his vehicle. The charges stem from a crash that occurred around 7:15 p.m. on April 5. According to court documents, Bia was speeding in a Dodge Charger when he ran a red light at the intersection of 900 West and 200 South, striking a vehicle that was making a left turn. The impact killed 42-year-old Ernesto Puga and seriously injured his 10-year-old daughter, who was rushed to a nearby hospital. Responding officers found Bia still inside his car, shouting profanities at witnesses. Police forcibly removed him from the vehicle and observed clear signs of intoxication, including open alcohol containers on the car’s floor. During transport to the police station, Bia reportedly interrupted officers repeatedly, refused to cooperate, and made incriminating statements such as, “I knew I was DUI” and “My life is over.” Investigators later determined that Bia had entered the intersection 34 seconds after the light turned red, traveling at 70 mph in a 25 mph zone. Prosecutors also highlighted Bia’s prior offenses, including a 2023 conviction for impaired driving. Less than six months after that guilty plea — and while still on probation — Bia was again charged in June 2024 for DUI, driving on a suspended license, and violating railroad crossing regulations. In that incident, witnesses reported him appearing unconscious behind the wheel before crashing through a railroad gate and into the side of a moving Union Pacific train. Due to the severity of the charges and Bia’s repeat offenses, prosecutors have asked the court to keep him in the Salt Lake County Jail without the option of bail as he awaits trial.