A Colorado business owner died after a car crashed into her place of business. The accident on July 12 involved a driver who was later charged with driving under the influence and several other violations.
Police in Denver reported via Twitter on July 19 that the 60-year-old woman died during the night on July 18. She had been run over by the car, according to reports. She was listed as being in critical condition shortly after the accident. She was the manager of an optical center that was owned by her husband, who is an optometrist. The business opened in 1995.
The driver of the car was a 24-year-old man. He and four other people were taken to the hospital after the accident. The driver was later charged with driving under the influence of drugs and driving with a revoked license. He was also charged with three counts of third-degree assault and vehicular assault. Bond was set at $50,000. He has a history of driving violations and was serving probation for two different theft charges. He also has a history of other misdemeanor offenses.
When someone is killed by a driver who is negligent, a wrongful death claim could be filed against the driver by the family of the person who was killed. In a case where criminal charges are filed against the driver relating to the death, a civil case can proceed separately. A verdict of “guilty” in a criminal case does not prove liable for a civil case; however, it could be used as evidence in a wrongful death case.
SOURCE: Denver Post, “Store manager injured when wrong-way car crashes into building dies,” Kirk Mitchell and David Migoya, July 20, 2014
Source: The Denver Channel, “Denver business owner dies from crash into building”, Ryan Nuanez, July 19, 2014