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Tag: Crashes

  • Colorado Sen. Faith Winter, killed in I-25 crash, remembered for relentless advocacy, ‘tremendous heart’

    State Sen. Faith Winter was a fierce and relentless advocate for Colorado’s families, climate and transportation who forever altered the state’s political landscape by fighting to make it a better place to live, her friends and colleagues said Thursday.

    Winter was killed Wednesday night in a five-vehicle crash on northbound Interstate 25 near Centennial. She was 45 years old.

    Winter’s death was confirmed late Wednesday by Gov. Jared Polis and legislative leaders, and Polis ordered flags be lowered to half-staff in her honor on the day of her memorial service, which has not been announced.

    “Our state is shaken by the loss of Senator Faith Winter, and I send my deepest condolences to her children, loved ones, friends, and colleagues across our state,” Polis said in a statement.

    “I have had the honor of working with her on many issues to improve the lives of every person and family in our great state and tackling climate change. I am deeply saddened for her family, her friends and colleagues and her community. Faith’s work and advocacy made Colorado a better state.”

    The Arapahoe County coroner’s office on Thursday confirmed Winter was killed in the crash, which also injured three others and closed northbound I-25 for more than five hours Wednesday night.

    The cause of the crash is under investigation, and additional information likely will not be released until next week, Arapahoe County sheriff’s Deputy John Bartmann said Thursday. No one has been cited or arrested in connection with the crash.

    Winter’s 10-year career in the statehouse exemplified her deep passion for making the lives of everyday Coloradans better as well as her remarkable resilience in the face of adversity, friends and colleagues told The Denver Post.

    A Democrat from Broomfield, Winter served in the House from 2015 to 2019, moving over to the Senate after she won a seat in 2018. She also served on the Westminster City Council earlier in her career.

    Winter was a driving force behind bringing paid family leave to Colorado; passing a massive 2021 transportation bill to improve the state’s roadways and expand transit options; and strengthening protections against workplace harassment, among many other initiatives.

    “Faith was a deeply complex person, and she moved through multiple challenges with grace and remained dedicated to the work she was doing,” state Sen. Lisa Cutter said in an interview Thursday. “She believed in the work she was doing, believed in the power of friendship and connection and will always live on that way and certainly live on in my heart.”

    Winter led the way in addressing sexual harassment in Colorado workplaces as well as her own workplace — the halls and chambers of the Capitol.

    Katie Langford

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  • Southbound I-225 reopens after crash, 4 people taken to hospital

    Three major crashes in Aurora sent six people to the hospital Friday night and Saturday morning, including two along the same section of southbound Interstate 225.

    A two-vehicle crash closed southbound I-225 near East 17th Place at around 9:13 a.m., the Aurora Police Department said on social media.

    Katie Langford

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  • 2 killed in metro Denver crashes on I-25, East Jewell Avenue

    Two people were killed in crashes in Denver and Aurora late Friday night and early Saturday morning, police officials said.

    The first fatal crash happened on northbound Interstate 25 in Denver on Friday night, when one person was killed in an eight-vehicle pileup near 44th Avenue.

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  • Pa. crash deaths were near record lows in 2024, but speeding and drunk driving still account for most of them

    The number of people killed in car crashes fell to a near-record low in Pennsylvania last year, but speeding and alcohol remain the most common factors in fatal collisions across the state, according to data from PennDOT

    The state’s annual report on vehicle crashes breaks down trends in road behavior and the circumstances that most often result in crashes. Pennsylvania had 110,765 reportable traffic crashes in 2024, resulting in 1,127 deaths. Total crashes increased by 383 compared with 2023 — causing a higher number of injuries — but there were 82 fewer deaths.

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    Last year marked the second-lowest number of crash deaths in Pennsylvania since records were first kept in 1928. The record low was 1,059 fatalities in 2019. The state’s peak in traffic fatalities occurred in 1973, when 2,444 people were killed. The state recorded more than 2,000 traffic deaths every year from 1965 to 1981, but has only surpassed that mark once since then in 1987.

    Among all fatal crashes last year, speeding was a factor in the deaths of 357 people — about 32% of all fatalities. Alcohol was involved in crashes that claimed 244 lives, making up about 22% of fatalities last year.

    Alcohol-related deaths declined from 308 in 2023, but PennDOT noted such crashes were nearly 3 1/2 times more likely to result in deadly injuries than those unrelated to drinking.

    About 72% of the fatal crashes involving alcohol last year were attributed to men driving under the influence. Nearly 75% of those who died were people driving drunk, and 90% of the fatalities involving alcohol occurred in vehicles driven by someone under the influence.

    PennDOT said the state has seen an improvement in the number of crash deaths involving underage drinking. Among people between 16 and 20 years old, alcohol-related crashes accounted for 8% of driver deaths last year. That’s down from 10% in 2023 and 23% in 2022 among that age group.

    Heavier traffic on the days surrounding major federal holidays contributed to a total of 13,103 crashes in Pennsylvania last year. There were 152 deaths during those periods, accounting for roughly 13% of total traffic deaths in 2024. The day before Thanksgiving and New Year’s Day accounted for the most crashes, but travel around Labor Day was tied to more deaths than any other holiday last year.

    The report notes that 9% of all holiday crashes involved alcohol use last year, but 30% of traffic deaths during holiday weekends were alcohol-related.

    Behind speeding, the most common causes of crashes in Pennsylvania last year were improper turns, distracted driving and violations of traffic laws at signals and other stops.

    More than 46% of people killed in fatal crashes last year were not wearing seat belts, the report said.

    PennDOT also noted a two-year trend of increasing crashes between cars and bicycles. There were 1,271 crashes last year, up from 810 in 2022 and 1,100 in 2023. The crashes last year resulted in the deaths of 19 cyclists, and 107 bicyclists were killed in crashes statewide from 2020 through 2024. Collisions between cars and pedestrians were down last year, falling to 3,035 from 3,199 in 2023. There were 174 pedestrians killed by cars in 2024 and a total of 872 pedestrians killed in crashes during the five-year period ending last year.

    PennDOT Secretary Mike Carroll called the decrease in traffic fatalities last year “good news,” but said the state must continue to invest in education and outreach to improve road safety.

    “We will only get to zero fatalities when everyone works together,” Carroll said in a statement after the report was released earlier this year. “Please pay attention when you are driving, always follow the speed limit, and never drive impaired.”

    Michael Tanenbaum

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  • How 2 Colorado men remember Flight 629 bombing 70 years later

    Saturday marks the 70th anniversary of the day the United Air Lines Flight 629 exploded over Weld County, killing 44 before crashing and spreading debris east of Longmont, an event that will be memorialized at an event on Saturday in Denver.

    Now, 70 years later, Philip Bearly remembers the explosion “like it was yesterday.” Bearly, who was 5 ½ years old at the time, remembers driving to his grandmother’s birthday celebration at 17th Street and Main Street in Longmont when he saw a flash.

    “… it was as bright as daylight,” Bearly said in an interview.

    The DC-6B aircraft leaving Denver exploded on Nov. 1, 1955, when a dynamite bomb went off 11 minutes into the flight. The plane’s wreckage landed below on more than 6 square miles of beet fields in the Longmont area. The explosion killed 44 people on board, becoming the deadliest act of mass murder in Colorado history.

    Nearly 400 Weld County residents sprang into action to search for survivors and protect the bodies from looters until authorities arrived.

    In May 1956, a jury found 23-year-old Jack Graham guilty of the crime as he had placed explosives in his mother’s luggage before she boarded the flight. Investigators determined Graham sought to cash in on a $37,500 insurance policy on his mother’s life. Graham was executed in January 1957.

    Page 1 of the Nov. 2, 1955, Longmont Times-Call

    Philip Bearly, a 5-year-old first responder

    “For a dumb, little 5 ½-year-old kid, I remember that like it was yesterday,” Bearly said.
    After his family saw the plane explode, Bearly’s father, Clayton, immediately took the family to the scene of the incident.

    “Something terrible has happened,” Bearly, now 75, remembers his dad saying. “They’re going to need help.”

    Upon arrival, Bearly, his mother, older brother and younger sister all sat in the car, headlights shining on the wreckage. Clayton was in the fields keeping looters out of the wreckage.

    A law enforcement friend of Clayton’s gave him a spare gun at the crash scene. That officer posted him at the corner of one of the sites and told him to tell folks he had orders to shoot looters.

    Bearly and his family didn’t get home until about 1:30 a.m. that night.

    Over the two days that followed, Clayton, who managed the nearby truck stop Johnson’s Corner, cooked as many meals as he and his staff could to feed the first responders. The National Guard arrived a few days later to take over feeding responders.

    To this day, Bearly has a letter the Colorado State Patrol head wrote his dad back on Nov. 22, 1955, thanking him for his help.

    Seventy years later, Bearly wants Coloradans and Americans alike to know about Flight 629, its impact and its history. He also wants people to honor the 44 victims and the many first responders — including his dad — who didn’t hesitate to lend a hand to those in need.

    “As Americans, that’s what we do. We help each other,” he said. “Don’t hesitate. Step up and help. Be a part of the solution.”

    Bearly, who lives in Campion, also hopes to see a memorial on the land where the plane crashed, commemorating the lives lost and those who helped. He has worked with the nonprofit Flight 629 Memorial and hopes that it meets its goal of opening a monument to the flight on its 75th anniversary in Firestone.

    Conrad Hopp, whose family farm became a crash site

    Conrad Hopp, 88, still struggles to talk about the aftermath of Flight 629 crashing in his family’s fields outside Firestone.

    “We didn’t have time to feel how it felt,” Hopp said in an interview.

    Hopp was 18 years old when debris from Flight 629 landed on his farm, he said. He remembers looking for bodies after the plane fell, and that some of the bodies that fell from the plane landed directly in his fields, creating dead spots in the next summer’s hay yield.

    He also remembers walking through his fields and stumbling upon the plane’s tail and knowing immediately that the crash wasn’t an accident when he smelled the dynamite used to blow up the plane mid-flight.

    Hopp, who has lived in the area his whole life, remembers his younger brother making it out of the house and into the fields despite being told to stay inside. The young boy stumbled upon a body and screamed out, Hopp said.

    Those are only some of the reasons why Hopp’s family resolved not to talk about what happened.

    Hopp said knowing a memorial event to honor Flight 629’s victims and the first responders is planned for Saturday in Denver has helped him feel better since the explosion, after years of feeling the pain of living with witnessing such death and destruction.

    “It means a lot,” Hopp said. “Showing respect for the survivors at this time is important.”

    The Denver Police Museum will dedicate the memorial to the 44 victims and the first responders at the Old Stapleton Airport Tower, where Flight 629 originated, according to a press release.

    Other memorial events on Saturday include the Denver City and County Building being lit in blue on the nights of Oct. 31 and Nov. 1 to commemorate the flight and a 7 p.m. symposium at the University of Denver to discuss what happened to the plane and how it changed the American judicial system.

    The public is welcome to attend the memorial dedication at 11 a.m. Saturday at the Old Stapleton Airport Tower on Uinta Street in Denver.

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  • Police chases in Aurora skyrocket after policy change, injuries more than quintuple

    Police chases increased tenfold in the six months after Chief Todd Chamberlain broadened the Aurora Police Department’s policy to allow officers to pursue stolen vehicles and suspected drunk drivers, a move that made Aurora one of the most permissive large police agencies along the Front Range.

    Aurora officers carried out more chases in the six months after the policy change than in the last five years combined, according to data provided by the police department in response to open records requests from The Denver Post.

    The city’s officers conducted 148 pursuits between March 6 — the day after the policy change — and Sept. 2, the data shows. That’s up from just 14 police chases in that same timeframe in 2024, and well above Aurora officers’ 126 chases across five years between 2020 and 2024.

    The number of people injured in pursuits more than quintupled, with about one in five chases resulting in injury after the policy change, the data shows. That 20% injury rate is lower than the rate over the last five years, when the agency saw 25% of pursuits end with injury.

    Chamberlain, who declined to speak with The Post for this story, has heralded the department’s new approach to pursuits as an important tool for curbing crime. Aurora Mayor Mike Coffman believes the change has already had a “dramatic impact” on crime in the city.

    However, the effect of the increased pursuits on overall crime trends is difficult to gauge, with crime generally declining across the state, including in Denver, which has a more restrictive policy and many fewer police pursuits.

    “You throw a big net out there, occasionally you do catch a few big fish,” said Justin Nix, a criminology professor at the University of Nebraska Omaha. “But you also end up with the pursuit policy causing more accidents and injuries.”

    More people died in police chases in this Denver suburb than in the state’s biggest cities

    Impact of Aurora’s pursuits

    Eighty-seven people were arrested across more than 100 pursuits in Aurora between April and August, according to an Oct. 15 report by the independent monitor overseeing court-ordered reforms at the Aurora Police Department.

    Of those 87 arrestees, 67 had a criminal history, 25 were wanted on active warrants, 18 were on probation and seven were on parole, the monitor found.

    “What we find is that people who steal cars, it’s not a joyriding thing, it’s not a one-off, they tend to be career criminals who use these vehicles to commit other crimes,” Coffman said. “There seems to be a pattern that when we do apprehend a car thief, they tend to have warrants out for their arrest, and we do see the pattern of stealing vehicles to commit other crimes. So we are really catching repeat offenders when we apprehend the driver and/or passengers.”

    The soaring number of pursuits was largely driven by stolen vehicle chases, which accounted for 103 of the 148 pursuits since the policy change, the data shows.

    Auto theft in Aurora dropped 42% year-over-year between January and September, continuing a downward trend that began in 2023. In Denver, where officers do not chase stolen vehicles, auto theft has declined 36% so far in 2025 compared to 2024.

    Denver police officers conducted just nine pursuits between March 6 and Sept. 2, and just 16 so far in 2025, data from the department shows. Four suspects and one officer were injured across those 16 chases.

    “I think there are broader societal factors at work,” Nix said of the decline in crime, which has been seen across the nation and follows a dramatic pandemic-era spike. “When something goes up, it is bound to come down pretty drastically.”

    Aurora officers apprehended fleeing drivers in 53% of all pursuits, and in 51% of pursuits for stolen vehicles between March and September, the police data shows.

    Coffman said that shows officers and their supervisors are judiciously calling off pursuits that become too dangerous. He also noted that every pursuit is carefully reviewed by the police chain of command and called the new policy a “work in progress.”

    “I get that it is not without controversy,” Coffman said. “There wouldn’t be the collateral accidents if not for the policy. So it is a tradeoff. It is not an easy decision and it is going to always be in flux.”

    Thirty-three people were injured in Aurora police chases between March 6 and Sept. 2, up from six injured in that time frame last year. Those hurt included 24 suspects, five officers and four drivers in other vehicles.

    One bystander and one suspect were seriously injured, according to the police data.

    The independent monitor noted in its October report that it was “generally pleased” with officers’ judgments during pursuits, supervisors’ actions and the post-pursuit administrative review process, with “two notable exceptions” that have been “elevated for additional review and potential disciplinary action.”

    The monitor also flagged an increase in failed Precision Immobilization Technique, or PIT, maneuvers during pursuits, which it attributed to officer inexperience. The group recommended more training on the maneuvers, which are designed to end pursuits, and renewed its call for the department to install dash cameras in its patrol cars, which the agency has not done.

    “It sounds reasonable,” Coffman said of the dash camera recommendation. “They are not cheap and we need to budget for it.”

    ‘No magic number’

    It’s up to city leadership to determine if the benefits of police chases outweigh the predictable harms, and there is no “magic number,” Nix said.

    “When you chase that much, bad outcomes are going to happen,” he said. “People are going to get hurt, sometimes innocent third parties that have nothing to do with the chase. You know that is going to be a collateral consequence of doing that many chases. So knowing that, you should really be able to point to the community safety benefit that doing this many chases bring.”

    The majority of large Front Range law enforcement agencies limit pursuits to situations in which the driver is suspected of a violent felony or poses an immediate risk of injury or death to others if not quickly apprehended.

    Among 18 law enforcement agencies reviewed by The Post this spring, only Aurora and the Arapahoe County Sheriff’s Office explicitly allow pursuits of suspected drunk drivers. The sheriff’s office allows such pursuits only if the driver stays under the posted speed limit.

    Aurora officers pursued suspected impaired drivers 13 times between March and September, the data shows, with five chases ending in injury.

    Omar Montgomery, president of the Aurora NAACP, said he is a “cautious neutral” about the policy change, but would like Aurora police to meet with community members to explain the impact in more detail.

    “People in the community do not want people on the streets who are causing harm to other individuals and who are committing crimes that makes our city unsafe,” he said. “We want them off the streets just as bad as anyone else. We also want to make sure that innocent people who are not part of the situation are not getting harmed.”

    Topazz McBride, a community activist in Aurora, said she has been disappointed by what she sees as Chamberlain’s unwillingness to engage with community members who disagree with him.

    “Do I trust them to use the process effectively and responsibly with all fairness and equity to everyone they pursue? No. I do not trust that,” she said. “And I don’t understand why he wouldn’t be willing to talk about it. Why not?”

    Montgomery also wants police to track crashes that happen immediately after a police officer ends a pursuit, when an escaping suspect might still be speeding and driving recklessly.

    “They are still going 80 or 90 mph and they end up hitting someone or running into a building,” he said. “And now you have this person who that has caused harm, believing that they are still being chased.”

    The police department did not include the case of Rajon Belt-Stubblefield, who was shot and killed Aug. 30 by an officer after he sped away from an attempted traffic stop, among its pursuits this year. Video of the incident shows the officer followed Belt-Stubblefield’s vehicle with his lights and sirens on for just under a minute over about 7/10ths of a mile before Belt-Stubblefield crashed.

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  • Denver pedestrian killed in hit-and-run near 16th Street Mall

    A pedestrian died early Sunday morning in a hit-and-run crash on the edge of Denver’s 16th Street pedestrian mall, blocks away from Union Station, police said.

    Officers responded to the fatal crash at 16th and Market streets at 2:18 a.m. Sunday, according to the Denver Police Department. Information on the cause of the crash was not available.

    Milton McBride, 27, was arrested on suspicion of vehicular homicide, police said in a 9:57 a.m. update. He is scheduled to appear Monday morning in Denver County Court.

    The victim killed in the crash will be identified by the Denver Office of the Medical Examiner.

    This is a developing story and may be updated.

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  • 4 teens killed after being struck by Colorado driver in wrong-way crash on New Jersey Turnpike

    Four teenagers were killed in after being struck by a Colorado driver in a wrong-way car crash on the New Jersey Turnpike early Sunday, authorities said.

    All four teens were in the same vehicle, which was hit by a Dodge pickup truck traveling the wrong direction near the south end of the highway in Carneys Point Township, NJ.com reported.

    Yaakov Kilberg, 19, was driving the Mazda carrying all four victims, according to the Asbury Park Press. Aharon Lebovits, Shlomo Cohen and Chaim Grossman, all 18, were passengers in the vehicle, the outlet reported.

    Christopher Neff, a 41-year-old resident of Westminster, Colorado, was identified by police as the pickup driver, Philadelphia NBC affiliate WCAU reported. He suffered serious injuries in the wreck and was hospitalized, authorities said.

    Police said around 12:40 a.m., Neff was traveling northbound in the southbound lanes about 25 miles southwest of Philadelphia, according to local CBS affiliate KYW. The teens were headed southbound when Neff collided with them head-on, then a tractor-trailer struck their vehicle from behind, police said.

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  • Pedestrian killed in hit-and-run on Colfax Avenue in Denver

    Denver police are investigating a fat hit-and-run crash on the east side of town that killed a pedestrian early Monday morning.

    The department announced the incident on X shortly before 1 a.m., saying a pedestrian had been struck and killed in the area of East Colfax Avenue and Trenton Street in Denver.

    The victim was pronounced dead at the scene, and delays in the area were expected as an investigation was launched.

    John Aguilar

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  • Denver pedestrian deaths jump 50% from last year

    Pedestrian deaths in Denver have jumped more than 50% in 2025 compared to the same period last year, according to city transportation officials.

    As of Tuesday, 25 pedestrians had been killed in crashes so far this year in Denver, according to the Department of Transportation and Infrastructure. By that date last year, 16 pedestrians had died.

    “It is breaking our hearts because we have seen a dramatic increase in the number of fatal crashes with pedestrians in Denver and around the state,” Amy Ford, executive director of the city’s transportation department, said Wednesday.

    Pedestrian deaths account for nearly half of all Denver road deaths reported this year, city officials said.

    The additional crash fatalities included 17 people in cars, six motorcyclists, seven people on scooters and three bicyclists — a total of 58 victims.

    Motorists and motorcyclists killed in Denver crashes dropped between 2024 and 2025, but the increase in pedestrian deaths caused overall traffic fatalities to rise slightly, according to data provided by city officials.

    Denver’s 16 pedestrian deaths during the first nine months of 2024 appear to be lower than the average over the past four years. City transportation data shows 24 pedestrians died in 2023, followed by 22 in 2022.

    City officials are working to reduce fatal crashes in several different ways, Ford said.

    Transportation staff started a speed-reduction program along Federal Boulevard and Alameda Avenue, which includes changing the timing of stoplights and adding radar speed signs that show drivers how fast they’re going.

    On York Street, transportation crews reconfigured lanes between 18th and 40th avenues to add left turn lanes and reduce crashes, and new center medians on West Colfax and Hampden avenues make a shorter distance for pedestrians to cross the street, Ford said.

    Vulnerable road user deaths have also spiked significantly across Colorado in the past 10 years, according to the Colorado State Patrol. Pedestrian and bicyclist fatalities in Colorado increased 78% between 2015 and 2024, while passenger vehicle deaths increased 7% during that same timeframe.

    Last year was the second-deadliest year on record for pedestrians and bicyclists in Colorado, with 134 fatalities, state patrol officials said.

    And October 2024 was the deadliest month on record for pedestrians, Colorado Department of Transportation chief of staff Sally Chafee said.

    Part of that is because it’s getting darker earlier as the season changes, she said.

    “Our Colorado lifestyle doesn’t stop because the sun sets earlier,” Chafee said. “People are still out walking, running and cycling, but in the dusk and darkness they’re incredibly difficult to see.”

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  • 2 killed in separate metro Denver crashes, including Boulder County cyclist

    Two people were killed in separate crashes in metro Denver overnight, including a cyclist in Boulder County, police officials said.

    The Boulder County cyclist was killed in a crash at 7:41 p.m. Friday near U.S. 287 and County Road 4, the State Patrol said in a news release.

    Katie Langford

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  • Bicyclist injured in Denver hit-and-run by driver who ran stop sign

    Denver police are searching for the driver and car involved in an August hit-and-run that seriously injured a bicyclist, according to the department.

    Lauren Penington

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  • Colorado 93 closed after major crash south of Boulder

    A single-vehicle rollover south of Boulder took down power lines and closed Colorado 93 Thursday morning.

    Abigail Ankeney

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  • Cyclist fatally struck by speeding driver in hit-and-run crash in West Philly

    A bicyclist was struck and killed by a speeding driver in a hit-and-run crash Tuesday morning in West Philadelphia, police said.

    The crash happened around 9:50 a.m. on the 1600 block of Belmont Avenue, a section of Fairmount Park near the Please Touch Museum and the Shofuso Japanese Cultural Center.

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    A black Dodge Charger and a black Chrysler were both speeding along Belmont Avenue as they approached Avenue of the Republic, where the cyclist was traveling east when he was struck by one of the vehicles, police said. The cyclist was thrown from his bike and later taken to Penn Presbyterian Medical Center, where he died from his injuries. He has not been identified.

    On the way to the scene, investigators spotted the Dodge Charger parked on the side of the 3200 block of Sedgley Avenue. Police said they observed a group of men who appeared to be inspecting the front end of the car for damage. Officers stopped to investigate and seized the vehicle. Authorities did not provide details on the whereabouts of the Chrysler and whether the driver of that car is sought in the investigation.

    No arrests have been made, police said.

    The crash marks the fourth time this year that a cyclist has been killed in a collision with a car in the city. There were three cyclists killed in crashes in Philadelphia last year, down from 10 in 2023. Earlier this year, the Bicycle Coalition of Greater Philadelphia reported that traffic deaths in the city have plateaued in recent years after spiking at 158 in 2020. There were 124 traffic deaths last year and 64 this year, including Tuesday morning’s crash.

    In this year’s budget, Philadelphia made a $30 million investment over the next six years in the city’s Vision Zero initiative to improve traffic safety. The increase in funding came a year after Mayor Cherelle Parker had made cuts to the Vision Zero program. The city saw an uptick in activism among cyclists after 30-year-old Barbara Friedes, a doctor at the Children’s Hospital of Philadelphia, was fatally struck by a drunk driver in Rittenhouse in July 2024. The driver in that case was sentenced to spend between six and 20 years in prison.

    Police said anyone with information about Tuesday’s hit-and-run crash can call the department’s tip line at 215-686-8477 or submit an anonymous tip online.

    Michael Tanenbaum

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  • 1 killed, 4 injured in Denver hit-and-run crashes since Saturday

    One person died and four others were injured in hit-and-run crashes across Denver between Saturday and Monday, according to the police department.

    A bicyclist was hit in the 4800 block of West 14th Avenue, near Yates Street, at about 1:34 a.m. Saturday. Police announced Monday that the unidentified victim had died at the hospital.

    Investigators are searching for a larger, dark-colored sport utility vehicle, according to a crime alert. The vehicle may have damage to the front bumper and undercarriage.

    Two people were hit on a scooter less than an hour after, at about 2:12 a.m. Saturday, police said. Both were taken to the hospital with serious injuries.

    That crash happened near the intersection of 18th Street and Welton Street, and a Nissan Murano SUV was spotted fleeing the scene, according to a crime alert.

    No hit-and-run crashes were reported Sunday, but two more people were injured on Labor Day in Denver.

    A bicyclist was injured in a hit-and-run near 40th and Walnut streets Monday evening, according to a 7:26 p.m. post from the Denver Police Department. Paramedics took the bicyclist to the hospital with serious injuries.

    Another person was injured earlier that morning in a hit-and-run that temporarily shut down northbound Federal Boulevard at Sixth Avenue, police said at 5:04 a.m. Monday.

    Lauren Penington

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  • High-speed motorist loses control of BMW in Arapahoe County, lands upside-down between horse trailers

    Arapahoe sheriff deputies, South Metro firefighters and Colorado State Patrol investigate an injury accident on South Parker Road north of South Chambers Road on Sept. 1, 2025. (Provided by Arapahoe Sheriff Department)

    A motorist driving a BMW at speeds in excess of 100 mph lost control of the vehicle Monday on South Parker Road just and ended up wheels pointed skyward between two horse trailers, the Arapahoe County Sheriff’s Office said.

    Authorities said the driver and a passenger were seriously injured in the crash, which occurred shortly before 2 p.m. just southeast of the Cherry Creek Reservoir.

    Witnesses told authorities that the driver of the BMW was speeding southbound on South Parker Road just north of South Chambers Road when the sedan left the roadway, crashed through a fence and landed upside down between the trailers. The driver and passenger were taken to a hospital.

    No one else was injured, according to the sheriff’s office. The Colorado State Patrol has taken the lead in the investigation.

    John Aguilar

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  • 3 injured in Denver hit-and-run crashes involving bicycle, scooter

    Three people were injured in hit-and-run crashes in Denver’s West Colfax and Central Business District neighborhoods early Saturday morning, according to police.

    Katie Langford

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  • Boeing’s Lawyers Come To Court To Face Relatives Of The Passengers Who Died In Boeing Max Crashes – KXL

    Boeing’s Lawyers Come To Court To Face Relatives Of The Passengers Who Died In Boeing Max Crashes – KXL

    FILE – A Boeing 737 Max jet prepares to land at Boeing Field following a test flight in Seattle, Sept. 30, 2020. Boeing representatives and relatives of some of the passengers killed in two crashes of Boeing 737 Max jets will meet face-to-face in a Texas courtroom Thursday, Jan. 26, 2023, where the aerospace giant will be arraigned on a criminal charge that it thought it had settled two years ago. (AP Photo/Elaine Thompson, File)

    FORT WORTH, Texas (AP) — Relatives of passengers who died in Boeing Max crashes will tell a judge to throw out a plea agreement that they say is a sweetheart deal for Boeing.

    A federal judge in Texas will hear arguments over the plea deal on Friday.

    Boeing is ready to plead guilty to a single felony count of conspiracy to commit fraud in connection with winning regulatory approval of the airplane.

    The deal calls for Boeing to pay a $244 million fine, invest in safety programs, and be put on probation for three years.

    But passengers’ relatives say the punishment is too light.

    And they’re angry that no Boeing officials are facing criminal charges.

    More about:

    Grant McHill

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  • Three killed after Jeep driver crashes into roadside CDOT workers near Palisade

    Three killed after Jeep driver crashes into roadside CDOT workers near Palisade

    Three people were killed after the driver of a Jeep Grand Cherokee hit two Colorado Department of Transportation employees working outside their vehicle on U.S. 6 near Palisade.

    Colorado State Patrol troopers responded to a fatal crash on westbound U.S. 6 between Palisade and Clifton in Mesa County around 10:42 a.m. Wednesday, agency officials said in a news release.

    Katie Langford

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  • Driver who fatally struck cyclist Barbara Friedes allegedly was drunk, speeding

    Driver who fatally struck cyclist Barbara Friedes allegedly was drunk, speeding

    The driver who fatally struck cyclist Barbara Friedes last week in Center City allegedly had a blood-alcohol concentration that was twice the legal limit in Pennsylvania and was driving as fast 57 mph when he hit her from behind, sending her body at least 150 feet from where the collision occurred, prosecutors said Thursday. 

    Michael Vahey, 68, has been charged with vehicular homicide, driving under the influence of alcohol and related offenses, Philadelphia District Attorney Larry Krasner said at a press conference. He surrendered to police Wednesday night following his release from the hospital and an investigation into the July 17 crash. 

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    Friedes, 30, a third-year pediatric resident at Children’s Hospital of Philadelphia, was riding in the designated bike lane on the 1800 block of Spruce Street around 7 p.m. when Vahey’s blue 2018 Volkswagen swerved into the bike lane and hit her, police said. Vahey allegedly was attempting to get around other cars at the time of the crash. Video evidence shows he ran over multiple plastic bike lane dividers, crashed into several parked cars and nearly struck a pedestrian, prosecutors said.

    A toxicology report found Vahey allegedly had a blood-alcohol concentration of 0.16, prosecutors said. 

    Vahey, who was injured in the crash, spent days in the hospital during the investigation, but he had been released as of Monday, police said. He is expected to be arraigned Thursday, and prosecutors intend to seek bail at $1 million.

    “Despite the fact that this defendant has no prior record, obviously the crime is horrible,” Krasner said. “The outcome is almost unspeakable.”

    The crash drew outrage from traffic safety advocates and cyclists, who say the city has fallen short of its commitment to safe streets and should have installed concrete barriers to prevent cars from entering bike lanes. The plastic flex posts installed along Spruce Street and many city bike lanes can be run over by cars.

    “In 2009, we also recommended a protected bike lane on Spruce and Pine, and that request was rejected,” Nicole Brunet, policy director for the Bicycle Coalition of Greater Philadelphia, said at the press conference.

    The crash that killed Friedes coincided with two pedestrian collisions elsewhere in the city on the same day, including one that killed a 38-year-old man in Kensington. Two more pedestrians were killed in crashes over the weekend, police said.

    Cycling advocacy groups held a vigil for Friedes at the scene of the crash near Rittenhouse Square on Sunday. They and others have criticized Mayor Cherelle Parker for decreasing funds for Vision Zero projects by about 60% in the city’s latest budget, despite her public commitment to the initiative in March. Vision Zero seeks to end all traffic fatalities by 2030.

    “We are again asking our city officials and decision makers to invest in Vision Zero and build protected bike lanes — real protected bike lanes — all over the city for vulnerable users, for drivers, for the safety of all Philadelphians. We are also asking our state officials to stop dragging their feet and allow parking-protected bike lanes on state roads.”

    The charges against Vahey also include involuntary manslaughter, recklessly endangering another person and speeding.

    Philadelphia Police Commissioner Kevin Bethel said it took more than a week to file charges against Vahey, because crash investigations are complex and methodical.

    “The immediacy is not about blowing into a breathalyzer,” Bethel said. “We have to have a much more complex process to make sure that we have a strong case.”

    Krasner said the charging guidelines for crashes run up against a “fuzzy line” when determining what crimes were committed. He said additional charges could be filed against Vahey based on further investigation.

    “We understand that there are crashes that are more accidental in nature and then others that are more criminal in nature,” Krasner said. “But recklessness can be criminal. Negligence can be criminal.”

    The district attorney added that there is “little doubt” that if the bike lane on Spruce Street had a cement barrier or was separated from the traffic lanes by a row of parked cars, Friedes would not have been killed.

    Through the first six months of 2024, the Bicycle Coalition of Greater Philadelphia recorded 52 traffic-related deaths in the city. That’s the lowest total for the first six months of a year since 2019, when there had been 48 fatalities. Friedes is the first cyclist to be killed in a crash in Philadelphia this year. Last year, 10 cyclists died in crashes in the city, officials said.

    In the wake of Friedes’ death, the Bicycle Coalition also has called on city leaders to end the practice of allowing cars to park in bike lanes on weekends and to replace “No Parking” signage with “No Stopping” signs in bike lanes.

    Krasner said he’s hopeful the city will take steps to protect the safety of cyclists and pedestrians in Philadelphia.

    “The consequences are horrible and we intend to prosecute this case justly and vigorously — and to do what we can to not only make sure there is accountability in this case, but do what we can to make sure we do not have these accidents in the future to the extent we can,” Krasner said. 

    Michael Tanenbaum

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