Maserati driver sentenced in high-speed DUI crash in Colorado Springs

Chris Long's pickup was stopped at a light last fall when a high-performance sports car racing down East Platte Avenue crashed into it, flipping the truck and sending him flying out a window. His back and several ribs were broken, nerves in an arm were severely damaged and he spent two weeks on a ventilator.

The driver of the Maserati, Seth Vanderiet, 45, is a self-proclaimed healer trained in Oriental medicine who owns multiple practices in Aspen and Glenwood Springs. Vanderiet had been drinking and claimed he was trying to outrace other speeding cars as he merged onto Platte when he hit Long the night of Sept. 21.

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For his reckless choices behind the wheel, Vanderiet was sentenced Friday to 30 months in prison, followed by three years of parole, and at least $20,000 in restitution, which could increase. He had pleaded guilty to vehicular assault while driving under the influence - his third DUI conviction. Eight other charges, including going more than 40 mph over the speed limit and driving without insurance, were dismissed with his guilty plea.

"He took his life in his hands by making the choice to get behind the wheel, and by doing so, he tried to take mine with it," said Long, whose wife, Michelle, and son, Brandon, were in the truck at the time of the crash.

The high-speed wreck wasn't Vanderiet's first time driving way over the speed limit and after drinking. Prosecutor Matthew Roche listed 11 traffic infractions since 2011 in counties across Colorado, including two previous DUIs from when Vanderiet was in his 20s.

"The number of Mr. Vanderiet's traffic infractions is frankly absurd," Roche said. "It shows that the defendant is not concerned about the rules of the road and not concerned with the safety of everyone else."

Fourth Judicial District Judge David Shakes agreed, taking into account Vanderiet's traffic history and the Longs' injuries.

"Having you in the community creates a safety risk, and I'm not willing to expose the community to that," Shakes said during the sentencing.

In an online bio, Vanderiet portrays himself as having overcome a hardscrabble childhood and dissolute adolescence to be come a productive member of society. He describes his transformation from an "adopted, abused and abandoned child," to hard-core biker and high school dropout to a healer trained in Oriental medicine.

"I, like many of you, have been utterly crushed in life. Physically, mentally, emotionally, and even spiritually," Vanderiet wrote on his website. "Yet, I have risen up to heal and help others."

Physically, Chris said he feels incapable of caring for his family as a husband and father. The lost their trailer and, with funds from victim's compensation, now live in a Manitou Springs motel.

"Our lives have been turned upside down," Brandon said. "I used to see my dad as the strongest guy in the world, but now, I have to worry about him."

The Longs wanted Vanderiet to get more than 30 months in prison - the maximum he faced under his plea deal was six years. They're grateful, though, at the prospect of money to help pay for Chris' medical bills.

"I don't want to hate anyone. I forgive him, but not for him. It's for me so I can sleep again. ... For everything I don't have, I have a lot to be thankful for," Chris said.

Credit: Liz Forster