A man is dead following a tragic hit-and-run accident in Denver, local sources have confirmed. As is standard for fatal motor vehicle accidents of this type, Colorado police mobilized to locate the driver involved. That individual has since been arrested and charged with vehicular homicide.
The accident report is not complete at this time, as police are continuing to investigate the particulars. However, it has been confirmed that a driver believed to be under the influence of alcohol reportedly crashed into three other cars while speeding on Colorado Boulevard at roughly 6:40 p.m. the night of Oct. 10. The impact killed a 28-year-old man who was in one of the vehicles struck. It is unclear whether anyone else was injured in the crash.
The man reportedly fled the scene of the accident on foot, whereupon he disrobed and entered a nearby pond. Police collected him from the pond and charged him with vehicular homicide, DUI and leaving the scene of an accident causing an injury or death. The man says he does not remember getting into the pond, and police are investigating to determine whether a good Samaritan may have driven him the distance.
Regardless of his rationale, the precedent in fatal motor vehicle accidents of this type is that individuals run the risk of conviction if sufficient evidence exists to suggest they materially contributed to a crash. Colorado police will continue to investigate the incident. The family of the deceased individual will be entitled to file a wrongful death suit against the driver, separate from any criminal charges that are filed.
Source: CBS Denver, “Victim In Deadly Hit & Run Crash Identified“, Oct. 12, 2016