Authorities reported that a single-vehicle accident on July 12 left four people injured. The incident occurred at 10:08 a.m., when the vehicle crashed into a Denver building.
According to the Denver Police Department, a man driving an SUV in the wrong direction along South Colorado Boulevard appeared to lose control of the vehicle near the East Amherst Avenue intersection before crashing through a corner building. Police reported that the SUV had been traveling north in the southbound lanes for up to half a block before the accident occurred.
Three of the individuals injured in this event were in the building at the time of the crash, purportedly. Emergency personnel transported all three to a local hospital, with one man in critical condition.
The man driving the SUV also suffered injuries as a result of the accident. Reportedly, emergency crews extricated the driver from the SUV before taking him to the hospital for treatment. Police suspect that he may have been operating the vehicle under the influence of drugs. While police did not detain the man in the immediate aftermath of the wreck, they did indicate that they might later take him into custody.
Regardless of whether any criminal charges are filed in connection with this incident, the at-fault party may still be held accountable in civil court. That is because civil cases are adjudicated independently from criminal cases, even if they stem from the same event and share the same defendant.
After a pedestrian accident like this one, people who suffered damages as a result may pursue civil action against the party whose actionable behavior caused the accident. For example, injured victims may retain a personal injury lawyer and file suit, seeking financial compensation for the economic losses they suffered in connection with the accident, such as hospital bills and medical expenses.
Source: The Denver Post, “Four people injured, 2 seriously, as SUV crashes into Denver building“, Jesse Paul and Kirk Mitchell, July 12, 2014