Wrong-Way HOV Crash Could Have Been Prevented, Driver Says
DENVER (CBS4) - A driver who caused a head-on crash when she was going the wrong way on Interstate 25's HOV lane is considering taking legal action against those responsible for the signage that she says misled her.
Leslie Roberts, 57, admits she was the one at fault in the wreck six weeks ago. It left her car and another totaled. She's in a wheelchair as she recovers from her injuries.
However, she believes someone else is to blame for her initial left turn onto the ramp that leads into the HOV lane. She says there aren't enough signs on the stretch of 70th she was on to prevent drivers from making the same mistake she did.
There are cones and barricades in some areas, but in the area where Roberts made her wrong turn there are none.
"I would not have turned into a barricade. And I was not intoxicated," Roberts told CBS4. "There was nothing to indicate that I should not turn down that road."
Officials with CDOT disagree with her position. Spokeswoman Amy Ford said there is appropriate signage and shaped medians prompting drivers to not turn left.
"We always do go and look at facilities to make sure that we have the proper signage. In this instance, obviously we went and looked at it and we certainly think we do have that, but we'll continue to evaluate it should we see this happen more," Ford said.
Before she can take her case to court Roberts says she needs to recover more fully from the collision.
"The signage was not correct. It was too small," she said.
Roberts is expected to appear in court soon on a charge of careless driving resulting in injury.
The other driver was also injured in the crash and has returned to Virgina where he is recovering from his injuries at home.
