Following a car accident, Colorado police must work to put together the pieces of the puzzle that explains the events leading up to the incident. However, in some cases, they are left to draw conclusions based on the evidence presented to them. They now say that they have concluded that a man who they previously believed to have been a passenger in a crashed vehicle was actually the driver. He has since been arrested, suspected of vehicular assault.
The accident that led to the man’s arrest reportedly happened during the early morning hours of a day in May. Police claim that they received a report from a man who said that a vehicle sped by his house before he heard a “clunk.” When officers arrived at the scene, they discovered a crashed vehicle and claim that a 23-year-old man was looking for his wallet in the backseat. He allegedly told officers that he was the passenger in the vehicle, and the driver was lying unconscious nearby.
Police claim that the conscious man appeared to be intoxicated and the unconscious man smelled of alcohol. Months later, police claim that the man previously believed to have been the passenger was actually driving, a claim they say is supported by a broken passenger window that made it more likely for a passenger to be ejected, not the driver, and which they allege contradicts the man’s claim that he struck his head on the passenger side window. The other man suffered a brain injury in the accident and says he has no memory of the night.
Police state that since they believed that the man now under arrest was the passenger, no blood draw was completed. In addition to the vehicular assault charge, he also face charges of failure to notify police of a crash, driving a vehicle with an unsecured passenger, reckless driving, failure to give aid and attempt to influence a public officer as a result of the Colorado accident. Most people accused of a crime are unfamiliar with the criminal justice system, often prompting them to seek advice from an experienced attorney. Because the man faces serious consequences if convicted, having such a professional on his side can help ensure that he has all the necessary information to make the decisions he is facing.
Source: dailycamera.com, “Drunken driver blamed crash on injured passenger, Longmont police say,” Mitchell Byars, Dec. 14, 2017