• 21
  • February
    2012

Last week in Denver, a reckless driver plowed into the back of a car driven by two great-grandparents, pushing them into oncoming traffic, where their car collided with a van.

A 79-year-old woman reportedly suffered internal injuries and many broken bones in the car accident. She is now in a coma. The woman's 75-year-old husband, who sustained a broken collarbone, vows to wait by her bedside in the hospital until she wakes up, according to news reports.

The 22-year-old driver had reportedly been speeding, and he left the scene of the accident. Police later arrested the driver, charging him with felony hit-and-run as well as vehicular

There is currently a proposal, Colorado House Bill 1084, that would increase the penalty for hit-and-run offenders. The penalty for leaving the scene of an accident, which caused serious injuries, would be punishable as a class 4 felony--the equivalent of drunk driving.

Some say that as the law currently stands, some drivers actually have an incentive not to stop and call for help for the injured parties. This is because the penalty for hit-and-run is sometimes less than the penalty if they were apprehended at the scene of the crash while under the influence.

The victims of this accident were planning to celebrate their 60th wedding anniversary this summer, according to a news report. The couple's entire family, 44 people including children, grandchildren, and great-grandchildren gathered at the hospital after the car accident.

According to a news report, the couple's oldest grandson said that he is thankful that the occupants of the van stopped at the scene and called 911. If not, the grandson said, his grandparents would not have survived.

Source: 9news.com, "Hit-and-run leaves great-grandmother in a coma," Will Ripley, Feb. 14, 2012