Cyclists all too often are the victim of motor vehicle accidents on the roads of Colorado. A former Air Force pilot was killed recently while cycling southbound down Highway 83 in Douglas County. He was rear-ended by a Jeep Wrangler driven by what officials say was a drunk driver. The cyclist was clothed in florescent yellow and wearing a helmet, but it was not enough to prevent this fatal accident.
A 37-year-old Colorado woman from Peyton was arrested after the wrongful death. She is looking at criminal charges of vehicular homicide, reckless driving and D.U.I. This same woman pleaded guilty to driving while impaired in 2010. While the criminal proceedings begin to make their way through the state’s criminal justice system, the deceased man’s wife and two teenage daughters are left to struggle with their grief as they bury him and wonder how such a tragedy could have occurred.
Colorado personal injury law provides families of deceased car accident victims the right to pursue wrongful death car accident claims when evidence demonstrates that the fatality was caused by the negligent act of another. While filing a claim can hardly begin to atone for the senseless loss of life, a successful result may help provide some closure as well as reimbursement for expenses and other damages. Additionally, when an at fault driver is found to have acted recklessly in causing a death, punitive damages may be awarded as a means of additional compensation over and above any compensatory damages awarded.
Source: KRDO Colorado Springs, “Friends Remember Cyclist Killed By Alleged Drunk Driver,” April 24, 2012
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