Driver, 88, Charged With Vehicular Homicide in Tour de Fat Crash
Van Lemaster of Cheyenne faces seven counts in the August 29 Fort Collins crash that killed Joshua Robert Douglass, 33, and injured six others outside Walrus Ice Cream.
Key points
- An 88 year old Wyoming man was arrested on October 16, 2026 in a crash that killed a Denver man during the Tour de Fat festival in Fort Collins, Colorado.
- The charges include one count of vehicular homicide, a Class 4 felony.
- The crash happened on August 29, 2026, just before noon in the 100 block of Mountain Avenue in Old Town Fort Collins.
An 88 year old Wyoming man was arrested on October 16, 2026 in a crash that killed a Denver man during the Tour de Fat festival in Fort Collins, Colorado. Van Lemaster, of Cheyenne, Wyoming, was booked into Larimer County Jail. He faces seven counts in total.
The charges include one count of vehicular homicide, a Class 4 felony. He also faces four counts of vehicular assault, a Class 5 felony, and two counts of reckless endangerment, a Class 2 misdemeanor. Bond was reported at 75,000 dollars cash or surety. A court hearing was set for 1:30 p.m. on October 16.
The crash happened on August 29, 2026, just before noon in the 100 block of Mountain Avenue in Old Town Fort Collins. It took place between College Avenue and Mason Street, outside Walrus Ice Cream, as the Tour de Fat bicycle festival parade was wrapping up.
What police say happened
Police say Lemaster backed a Chevrolet pickup out of a parking spot. The pickup struck a vehicle travelling eastbound. He then drove forward onto the sidewalk. The pickup hit pedestrians and struck a tree before it stopped.
Joshua Robert Douglass, 33, of Denver, was killed. Six other people were injured, four of them seriously. Lemaster was also injured.
Investigators ruled out impairment as a factor in the crash. Police said they do not believe pedestrians were intentionally targeted.
Fort Collins Police Chief Jeff Swoboda described the crash as a tragic event. He said the department will keep supporting those affected as the case moves through court.
A festival day turned fatal
Tour de Fat is a bicycle festival that draws crowds to Old Town. The parade was ending when the crash happened, with people still on the sidewalks and streets near the route. The location, outside a well known ice cream shop on Mountain Avenue, was busy at the time.
The arrest came more than six weeks after the crash. That gap reflects the time investigators spent reviewing how the pickup moved from the parking spot into traffic, onto the sidewalk, and into the tree. The charges filed this week now move the case from investigation to court.
Vehicular homicide and vehicular assault are felony charges under Colorado law as listed in the booking. The reckless endangerment counts are misdemeanors. Lemaster will have a chance to answer the charges in court, starting with the hearing set for Friday afternoon.
For the family of Douglass and for the injured, the case will now turn on court records and testimony about the moments before noon on August 29. Police have given their account of the sequence. Prosecutors must prove the charges in court.
The festival crash remains one of the most serious incidents in Old Town this year. City streets that were closed and crowded for a parade became a crime and crash scene in minutes, and the legal process that follows will decide responsibility under the counts filed on October 16.