Google search yields much more detailed info, including this story from when it happened. The kids *might* have been drunk, were driving in violation of license (driver was a new teen driver at night), and they did stop in the middle of the road to change their tire. They saw the vehicle approaching and chose not to get out of the way.

They also got a lot of sympathy and donations after it happened, presumably before any details came out.

From the above linked story (Whole story is informative):
Quote
Questions about the accident, which cost Tyler Carron and Nikko Landeros their legs, swirled around the case after attorneys for the teenager who crashed into them asserted in a court filing Friday that the boys were intoxicated when they stopped in the middle of a county road on Jan. 15 to change a tire.

The attorneys also alleged that the boys broke other laws that night - that Carron "unlawfully" drove with more than one passenger in his Isuzu Trooper, that he stopped in a traffic lane, and that he and Landeros stood in the roadway......
The tragic chain of events unfolded about a mile south of Berthoud at 11:40 p.m. on Jan. 15, according to the Colorado State Patrol's report. Carron was driving, and his passengers included Landeros and three girls - two 15-year-olds and a 16-year-old.

Carron was driving south on a snowy two-lane county road when he stopped to fix a flat tire. According to the accident report, Carron stopped in the middle of the southbound lane.

The two boys were standing behind the Isuzu, beginning work to change the tire, when Berra approached. She was driving the speed limit - 40 mph - and crashed into the back of the Isuzu, crushing the legs of the two boys, according to the report.

The story of the two boys as they worked to overcome their injuries, return to school and go on with their lives drew national attention.

In the meantime, Abrahamson's office filed two counts of careless driving causing bodily injury against Berra.

Berra told investigators that she never saw the car stopped in the road. According to the accident report, the investigating trooper concluded the area was "dark - unlighted" at the time of the crash.

In their court filing late Friday, Berra's attorneys served notice that they intend to pursue a defense that will attribute a portion of the blame for the accident to Carron and Landeros.

Attorneys Stephen Peters and John Chanin alleged that both boys were "unlawfully drinking and impaired by alcohol," that Carron had more than one passenger in his car, that he "unlawfully stopped his vehicle in the middle of a traffic lane," and that they both "unlawfully stood in the middle of a traffic lane at the rear of the vehicle, taking no evasive action when they saw the defendant's headlights approaching."

In addition, the attorneys said that the boys blocked the view of the Isuzu's taillights.


And here's a picture of a 1999 Isuzu rear end (according to another story link). The tire does appear to obscure the one light....but was that one light really the cause if you're in the middle of the road?
[Linked Image]