Woman Thrown From SUV In Crash Has Life-Threatening Injuries, Police Pursue Charges
AURORA, Colo. (CBS4) - One woman is in critical condition after the SUV she was in ran off the road and into the backyard of a home in Aurora. Police say they're now pursuing charges against the driver.
The rollover happened near South Kingston Street and East Florida Avenue early Saturday morning.
Neighbors who heard the sounds around 1 a.m. said it was clear what had happened.
"Sounds like they were trying to stop … You could hear the car sliding," said neighbor Gladys Cheeseboro.
Aurora police said the man driving the SUV veered off the road, crashed into a tree, through a fence, and then a backyard. In the process, a passenger was thrown from the vehicle, which also rolled over her body.
"Hearing this and then coming out and seeing it was super unreal to me," said neighbor Brooke Cheeseboro.
Officials said the victim is now suffering from life-threatening injuries. The three other people inside the vehicle were not as badly injured.
Neighbors are shocked that even more people weren't hurt.
"Your first thought was, 'Is everybody alive? How bad is it?' " said Gladys.
The debris and shattered glass show were the SUV landed, and just across the yard is a patio where James R. Smith says he and wife often sit.
"It's just a good thing I wasn't hit," he said.
Smith said he and his wife somehow slept through the commotion, though the track marks and debris in his backyard clearly explain the story.
Police believe speed and alcohol played a role.
"I've had numerous friends killed by drunk drivers so it bothers you, but ... people are going to do what people do," said Gladys.
Police are pursuing vehicular assault charges for the driver, and possibly more depending on the outcome of the critical passenger.
