Arrest made in Colorado drunk driver negligence investigation

An arrest has been made against a 56-year-old driver who is alleged to have been driving drunk when he caused an accident that seriously injured two people. The incident took place just north of Boulder, Colorado during the final week in July. The driver has a history of drunk driver negligence that includes at least two prior DUI convictions.

The accident occurred around 4:04 a.m. on a Saturday morning. The driver, in a rented Chevrolet HHR, was heading north in the southbound lanes of a major roadway when he crashed into a Toyota Yaris. The 23-year-old driver of that car was treated and released from Longmont United Hospital. At the time of this report, the passenger in the Yaris, a 28-year-old man, was in critical condition and on life support at Denver Health Medical Center.

The driver admitted to authorities that he consumed between 10 and 20 beers on the evening of the accident, all at bars along Pearl Street. This has led investigators to canvass those establishments in an effort to determine where he was served. In Colorado, over-serving a customer who is already visibly intoxicated is a petty offense, and investigators have stated that they will press charges if and when they can determine where the driver was drinking on the night of the accident. If a conviction is obtained, the typical result is a small fine for the bartender who served the individual and the suspension of the liquor license of the establishment where the event took place.

The case is still under investigation, and the victims who were injured in the incident, as well as their families, will likely continue to follow the progress made by investigators. If the man who is accused of causing the accident is found guilty in a court of law, that information can help the victims should they choose to pursue a Colorado civil suit for damages that are the result of drunk driver negligence. There is also a possibility for a lawsuit against any establishment that over served the driver, if and when relevant evidence establishing those facts is obtained.

Source: Longmont Times-Call, “Investigators unsure where driver in Diagonal head-on drank night of DUI crash,” Mitchell Byers, July 25, 2012