Legal news for Colorado automobile accident attorneys. A RTD bus’ brakes apparently failed, leading to multiple vehicle crash.
Colorado automobile accident lawyers alert- An RTD bus crash injured three people.
Denver, CO—A multiple vehicle collision at the intersection of Florida Avenue and Sheridan Boulevard resulted after a Regional Transportation District (RTD) bus, ran a red traffic light. Three people were injured in the pile-up that occurred on Wednesday, January 20, 2010 around 2:08 p.m., as reported by the Denver Post.
According to the Lakewood Police Department, an eastbound RTD bus ran the red light at Florida Avenue, and struck a white Dodge Ram that was traveling southbound on Sheridan. The Dodge truck then hit a minivan that was in the northbound turn lane of Sheridan. The impact of the collision catapulted the RTD bus into the southbound lanes of Sheridan and hit a Toyota. Ambulances from Denver Health Medical Center and West Metro Fire responded to transport the injured to area hospitals for treatment. The drivers of the minivan and the Toyota, as well as a passenger in the Dodge were transported to area hospitals for treatment of their injuries. The reported injuries were described as non-life threatening. The RTD bus driver told investigators that the brakes on the bus failed, which caused him to run the light. Police officials are currently investigating the multiple vehicle crash.
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Sunday, March 28, 2010
Monday, March 15, 2010
DUIs not much of a deterrent in Basalt
Roughly half of the drivers busted by the Basalt Police Department on suspicion of driving under the influence of alcohol in 2009 were repeat offenders, according to statistics tracked by the agency.
Officers made 74 DUI arrests last year. Sgt. Stu Curry said he was able to track the driving records of 46 of the arrestees. Of those 25, had been busted for a prior DUI in Colorado, he said.
Seventeen of those arrested had one prior conviction for DUI, Curry said. Four had been popped twice before. Two had been arrested three times before and two had been arrested four times before.
“I was really shocked,” Curry said of the results.
He wasn't able to track the driving histories of the 28 arrestees who were from out of state or Latino and natives of other countries. In some cases, arresting officers were unable to determine an identity for the Latino drivers. In other cases, they couldn't verify that the Latino drivers had a valid Colorado driver's license, he said.
Of the 25 repeat offenders, 15 had been previously arrested in the upper Roaring Fork Valley, by the Aspen, Snowmass Village or Basalt police departments or the Pitkin County Sheriff's Office, Curry's research showed.
The DUI arrests that stood out in 2009 tended to be cases with repeat offenders, he said. In one case this winter, an officer had stopped a vehicle on Highway 82 for a traffic violation when a citizen pulled up behind her and reported he had nearly been driven off the road by another motorist that was weaving on the road. He provided a solid description of the vehicle. The officer chased it down and made a DUI arrest — at 8:30 a.m., according to Curry.
In another case, Curry stopped a driver at 6 p.m. Christmas Eve for the man's fourth DUI arrest. Last fall, another Basalt officer picked up a local woman for her fifth DUI.
Curry estimated that less than half of the DUI arrests made in Basalt are from officers initiating a stop. More arrests are the products of citizen reports, known as REDDI or Report Every Drunk Driver Immediately reports, and investigation of accidents.
Basalt higher than state average
Basalt's percentage of repeat offenders is higher than the state average. Denver Post reporter David Olinger investigated Department of Motor Vehicle records and found that 16 percent of nearly 32,000 drivers investigated for drunken driving in Colorado last year had one prior DUI arrest. Another 7 percent had two or more prior arrests.
Drunken drivers haven't caused accidents that have killed other drivers in recent years, but Jeff Reese and Susan Grove were almost victims of a repeat offender on May 8, 2008. The couple were returning to their Basalt home from a baseball game in Denver. They were less than 2 miles from home when they were struck on Two Rivers Road by a vehicle driven by Oscar Canas Portillo of El Jebel.
Reese and Grove both suffered brain injuries and multiple broken bones. The couple, who now live in Aspen, are still battling to recover from their injuries. Grove has returned to work part-time at Aspen Valley Hospital. Reese intends to return to work as an accountant when his speech improves. His speech is slurred because of the injury to his brain.
Blood tests showed that Canas Portillo was impaired by drugs and alcohol at the time of the accident, police said. He had at least three and possibly four prior convictions for driving under the influence before the accident, Curry said.
Canas Portillo pleaded guilty to two counts of vehicular assault causing bodily injury and was sentenced in February to 12 years in prison.
Officers made 74 DUI arrests last year. Sgt. Stu Curry said he was able to track the driving records of 46 of the arrestees. Of those 25, had been busted for a prior DUI in Colorado, he said.
Seventeen of those arrested had one prior conviction for DUI, Curry said. Four had been popped twice before. Two had been arrested three times before and two had been arrested four times before.
“I was really shocked,” Curry said of the results.
He wasn't able to track the driving histories of the 28 arrestees who were from out of state or Latino and natives of other countries. In some cases, arresting officers were unable to determine an identity for the Latino drivers. In other cases, they couldn't verify that the Latino drivers had a valid Colorado driver's license, he said.
Of the 25 repeat offenders, 15 had been previously arrested in the upper Roaring Fork Valley, by the Aspen, Snowmass Village or Basalt police departments or the Pitkin County Sheriff's Office, Curry's research showed.
The DUI arrests that stood out in 2009 tended to be cases with repeat offenders, he said. In one case this winter, an officer had stopped a vehicle on Highway 82 for a traffic violation when a citizen pulled up behind her and reported he had nearly been driven off the road by another motorist that was weaving on the road. He provided a solid description of the vehicle. The officer chased it down and made a DUI arrest — at 8:30 a.m., according to Curry.
In another case, Curry stopped a driver at 6 p.m. Christmas Eve for the man's fourth DUI arrest. Last fall, another Basalt officer picked up a local woman for her fifth DUI.
Curry estimated that less than half of the DUI arrests made in Basalt are from officers initiating a stop. More arrests are the products of citizen reports, known as REDDI or Report Every Drunk Driver Immediately reports, and investigation of accidents.
Basalt higher than state average
Basalt's percentage of repeat offenders is higher than the state average. Denver Post reporter David Olinger investigated Department of Motor Vehicle records and found that 16 percent of nearly 32,000 drivers investigated for drunken driving in Colorado last year had one prior DUI arrest. Another 7 percent had two or more prior arrests.
Drunken drivers haven't caused accidents that have killed other drivers in recent years, but Jeff Reese and Susan Grove were almost victims of a repeat offender on May 8, 2008. The couple were returning to their Basalt home from a baseball game in Denver. They were less than 2 miles from home when they were struck on Two Rivers Road by a vehicle driven by Oscar Canas Portillo of El Jebel.
Reese and Grove both suffered brain injuries and multiple broken bones. The couple, who now live in Aspen, are still battling to recover from their injuries. Grove has returned to work part-time at Aspen Valley Hospital. Reese intends to return to work as an accountant when his speech improves. His speech is slurred because of the injury to his brain.
Blood tests showed that Canas Portillo was impaired by drugs and alcohol at the time of the accident, police said. He had at least three and possibly four prior convictions for driving under the influence before the accident, Curry said.
Canas Portillo pleaded guilty to two counts of vehicular assault causing bodily injury and was sentenced in February to 12 years in prison.
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