Arrest made in fatal hit-and-run of tow truck driver on 215 Beltway
A driver accused of fleeing after striking and killing a tow truck operator on the shoulder of the 215 Beltway on Tuesday night has been arrested, according to Nevada Highway Patrol.
The Highway Patrol arrested 51-year-old Colette Despain on Wednesday on charges of failing to stop at scene of crash involving death or personal injury, failure to give info to party at vehicle accident, failure to maintain lane/improper lane change, duties of driver when approaching authorized emergency vehicle and violation of probation.
Despain has an initial court appearance set for Thursday afternoon.
About 7:47 p.m. Tuesday, the tow truck driver, identified by the Clark County coroner’s office on Wednesday as Ryan Billotte, 48, was working on the shoulder of the Beltway near Decatur Boulevard. Investigators believe Billotte was hit by a white Ford Econoline van, which left the scene of the crash. The coroner’s office ruled his death an accident.
Billotte worked for Quality Towing, based in North Las Vegas. The Highway Patrol late Tuesday released a photo of his truck at the crash site, its headlights and amber safety lights still glowing, parked on the shoulder.
The company confirmed Billotte’s employment and death in a Facebook post late Tuesday, announcing with a “heavy heart” that he had been killed “while performing his duties.”
“Please pray for his family in their time of need,” the post read.
Outside of University Medical Center late Tuesday, at least 30 tow truck drivers from across the Las Vegas Valley gathered, parked in a line that wrapped around the hospital parking lot, their amber safety lights flashing “to honor their fallen colleague,” according to a video Clark County officials posted Wednesday to Twitter.
The video was filmed by Clark County firefighters who responded to the crash site. The footage was captured as they left the hospital. At least one firefighter could be seen waving to the tow truck drivers as the crew drove away.
This marked the Highway Patrol Southern Command’s 12th fatal crash resulting in 14 fatalities this year, according to a Thursday release.
Contact Alexis Ford at aford@reviewjournal.com or 702-383-0335. Follow @alexisdford on Twitter. Contact Mya Constantino at mconstantino@reviewjournal.com. Follow @searchingformya on Twitter.