After an accident in Colorado, a driver should never immediately leave the scene. The driver must wait for law enforcement to arrive and also attempt to provide reasonable aid if there are any victims who were injured in the car accident. Fleeing an accident can have serious repercussions in and of itself.
During a recent evening, local law enforcement in Aurora received a report about a hit-and-run accident. A sedan was waiting at a stop light when it was hit from behind by another vehicle. Police say that the other vehicle abandoned the scene, traveling south. Two children in the sedan suffered serious injuries that were not life-threatening. The children were transported to a nearby medical facility.
The driver of the vehicle that fled the scene was apparently the local fire chief’s wife. Her lawyer suggested that the reason for her driving away was due to a brain injury that she suffered some 20 years earlier. He also claimed that the vehicle’s airbag deployed during the crash, and she may have become confused due to the impact. She allegedly drove five miles before she realized that there had been an accident and called her husband.
The Colorado fire chief and his wife are working with authorities during the investigation of the car accident. The case is now being reviewed by the district attorney as to whether criminal charges should be filed against her. Regardless, the parents of the children who were injured may choose to file a personal injury claim against the woman and any other owner of the vehicle she was operating. If liability is established according to the requirements of a Colorado civil court, the victims’ parents may be awarded a monetary judgment that is designed to alleviate some of the burden from medical expenses and other financial losses that were sustained due to the accident.
Source: kdvr.com, “Hit-and-run case against Aurora fire chief’s wife sent to DA’s office“, Stephanie Wolf, May 17, 2014