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Police: Distracted Driver Caused Deadly Crash In Lakewood

LAKEWOOD, Colo. (CBS4)- Police say a distracted driver caused a deadly crash in Lakewood on Thursday evening.

Police say Andrew Huerena, the driver of a Ford Focus, became distracted while driving on 6th Avenue when his passenger was changing the radio station. The vehicle hit a bump in the road which caused the passenger's hand to hit the steering wheel.

Investigators say Huerena over-corrected and struck a Toyota 4-Runner.

LAKEWOOD DEADLY CRASH_frame_157
Police in Lakewood say a driver was distracted before this crash on 6th Ave. (credit: CBS)

"The passenger as they were dealing with the radio, the bump caused their hand to hit the steering wheel, there's certainly no malicious intent or anything like that," said Lakewood Police Det. Ty Countryman. "That distraction or bump of the steering wheel is what began the process of him losing control."

The 4-Runner rolled several times and struck the light rail fencing. The driver, Kimberly Henderson, 51, died. Her 9-year-old son was a passenger in the SUV. He was taken to Denver Health with moderate injuries.

Police believe the road's contour and how the SUV rolled also contributed to the crash.

"The driver of the other car couldn't recover and that SUV rolled several times and collided with the light rail fencing that protects the light rail tracks and came to rest down on the service road after the drop-off," said Countryman.

Huerena has been charged with two counts of careless driving. He is scheduled to appear in court in September.

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