Rampage driver who sent 10 to hospital pleads guilty

Damage from the scene of the nine-car Boulder wreck caused by Sean Marino in March.

LONGMONT, Colo. — A Longmont man who caused a nine-car accident pleaded guilty to two counts of vehicular assault, but escaped the most serious charge he faced when misdemeanor DUI charges were dropped.

Sean Marino, 43, was charged with two counts of vehicular assault, driving under the influence, reckless driving and 11 counts of careless driving resulting in injury in the 9-car crash in March that sent 10 people — including Marino — to the hospital.

The most serious charge Marino faced was vehicular assault while driving under the influence, which could have carried a term of up to six years in prison. The vehicular assault charges will stick with his plea, but the DUI charges were dropped along with the reckless and careless driving charges when the plea was accepted.

The two vehicular assault charges are expected to carry prison sentences ranging from 1-3 years.

According to a police report, Marino said he took a narcotic pain medication the night before the accident and again the morning of the accident for stomach pain he was experiencing. He also said he also has a seizure disorder.

Marino told police that the accelerator in his vehicle got stuck down, causing him to reach speeds of 90 miles per hour in a 30-mile-per-hour zone, and that he didn’t remember the crash. It was later found that Marino did not have valid insurance.

None of the injuries suffered by Marino or others involved in the accident were serious.