Following a bad accident that injured two children, a Colorado Springs man has been arrested. He is facing the following charges:
- DUI
- Vehicular Assault
- Hit and Run
- Child Abuse
- Careless Driving
- Driving with a Revoked License
A woman has also been charged with child abuse in connection with the case.
The crash happened on August 15 around 7:00 p.m. The driver lost control of his car and crashed into a parked, unoccupied, truck. After the crash, the driver tried to flee the scene, but was detained by witnesses. There were two children in the car at the time of the crash. Neither were restrained and one of them was seriously injured.
So, what do these charges mean? The DUI, hit and run and driving with a revoked license are pretty self explanatory.
Vehicular assault is a felony and is based on the allegation that the driver was driving under the influence at the time of the crash and that someone sustained serious bodily injury. The fact the injured parties may be related to the driver or consensually in the car, does not offer a defense to the charge.
The theory behind the child abuse charge may be 1 of 2 things:
1. The driver was driving under the influence with children in the car. Simply driving drunk or high with children in the car, even without an accident, is sufficient to support a child abuse charge
2. Because the children were not restrained in car seats or safety belts and then were injured, that evidence is sufficient to support a child abuse charge.