Patrons at a restaurant expect good service, fine food and a nice atmosphere. Another expectation that doesn’t come up very often is safety. If you’re out at a restaurant, you don’t think you’re putting yourself in harm’s way.
However, at the Hornet in Denver, customers have done just that on several occasions. Cars have crashed into the front of the restaurant an astounding three times this year.
Nationwide, drivers are becoming more negligent, with distracted driving accidents on the rise. While everyone knows it is not safe to use cell phones behind the steering wheel, people do it all day long. In Colorado, this is no different.
There is no doubt that busy lives make demands on time. Multitasking is common for people of any age. The resulting problem is often that people become overly confident in the ability to do multiple things at the same time. Sure, you can walk while chewing gum. Maybe you can help your child with homework while cooking dinner. But texting while driving? Don’t take the risk.
Drivers speeding in school zones are a significant problem in Colorado. In fact, a nationwide survey gave the state a "D" rating for pedestrian safety in school zones. Data was collected from over 125,000 schools across the country, considering issues like hard braking, rapid acceleration, distracted driving and speeding that could lead to auto-pedestrian accidents.
Among the 291 schools rated in Colorado, two Denver schools, Thomas Jefferson High School and Stedman Elementary School were ranked as the most hazardous for students to cross the street. Authorities say schools take steps like signposting at the start and end of safety zones and using flashing lights. Some schools also provide crossing guards during drop-off and pickup times to help students to cross safely.
Felony offenders in Colorado might be eligible for alternative placement or sentencing instead of incarceration. Community corrections programs provide convicted offenders the opportunity to change their behavior and also have restricted access to the community. An example of this progressive approach to criminal law involves a speech pathologist who pleaded guilty to insurance fraud charges.
According to court documents, the therapist received $1.9 million from Medicaid over a period of six years, of which $1.2 million was for phony claims. The attorney general says the woman filed claims for therapy sessions that never took place. In some cases, it was reportedly determined that the therapist had never treated some of the patients on her claims, nor had they ever heard of her.
Twenty vehicles were involved in a snowy pile-up on Interstate 70 near Denver on November 24, reminding us that, once again: winter is upon us. Authorities stated that heavy snow and winds were contributing factors in the crash, which seems to have begun when a large truck jackknifed on the highway.
Luckily, this accident only resulted in minor injuries although it did leave many drivers stranded on the highway. But accidents like this are all too common in the winter months, which is why we've compiled a list of winter driving tips to help keep you safe this winter.
Colorado police are looking for the driver of a car that caused the tragic death of a visitor to Denver from another state. A report by the Denver Police Department indicates that 14 fatalities in hit-and-run accidents were recorded this year, compared to seven last year and four in 2016. Reportedly, law enforcement has caught up with all but five of the 2018 hit-and-run perpetrators.
On Thanksgiving Day, a judge from another state, accompanied by his wife and his daughter who lives in Denver, were struck by a vehicle in an intersection. According to a police report, the incident occurred shortly after 8 p.m. when a driver ran a red light and hit the three pedestrians. The driver fled the accident scene, and none of the witnesses noticed more than the color of the car.
We’ve all heard it, and perhaps even said it ourselves, “I’ll just wait a day or two to see if the pain and stiffness goes away.” While that may be okay to determine whether you have a cold or flu coming on, it can be a tragic mistake if you were recently in a car accident.
Anyone in Colorado who faces criminal charges will know that a conviction could mean time in prison. If it involves violent crimes, the consequences can be life changing, including a felony record that will follow a convict forever. Many people might not realize that causing a fatal crash while under the influence of alcohol constitutes a violent crime, even if there was no intention to kill anybody.
Under such circumstances, the charge might be involuntary manslaughter, which typically involves criminal or reckless negligence that led to the unintentional killing of someone else -- except when it involves an inherently dangerous felony. Although driving under the influence of alcohol might be a low-level felony or a misdemeanor, it can lead to a charge of criminally negligent homicide. The difference between this crime and murder -- first or second degree -- is the fact that a human death resulted from negligence without planned malice.
Winter is nearly here and some areas of Denver have already seen ice and snow. The days are shorter, the nights are longer, and sidewalks are slipperier. Puddles during the day turn into ice rinks at night. Hopefully, you will manage to stay upright all winter, but if you do slip and fall, be on the look-out for these five common injuries:
Distracted driving can be deadly any time of the year, but it can be especially dangerous when paired with winter weather and congested commutes. According to a recent Denver Post article, winter weather contributed to an abundance of crashes in the Denver metro area Nov. 12. Although the article did not specifically mention distracted driving, there is a good chance it was another contributing factor in some of the crashes.
The Colorado Department of Transportation website states that distracted drivers cause about 40 crashes each day in the state, and 89 percent of the people who participated in a 2017 mail survey reported that they had driven distracted in the seven days before they took the survey.
Please call us at 720-689-0322 or email our team to speak with an attorney. We look forward to speaking with you.
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Englewood Office
333 W. Hampden Avenue Suite 710
Englewood,
CO
80110
Phone:
720-689-0322
Fax:
303-806-8882
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Denver Office
999 18th Street Suite 3000
Denver,
CO
80202
Phone:
720-689-0322
Fax:
303-806-8882
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