A high-speed chase in south Fort Collins took a dire turn Saturday night when a driver attempting to escape law enforcement control crashed into a tree, resulting in serious injuries to all occupants in the fleeing vehicle. According to the Larimer County Sheriff’s Office, the pursuit began near Roma Valley Drive and Napa Valley Drive and ended tragically around Boardwalk Drive and Highcastle Drive with a precision immobilization technique, or PIT, used by deputies to end the pursuit.
The incident, which occurred yesterday at 10:48 p.m., saw the deputies attempt a traffic stop that was not heeded by the driver, initiating the chase. The Larimer County Sheriff's Office reported that the trio within the vehicle, an adult male driver, another adult male, and an adult female passenger, were subsequently rescued from the wreckage and transported to various hospitals for their injuries. As a result of the severity of the situation, the Eighth Judicial Critical Incident Response Team, CIRT, was activated to oversee the investigation.
The activation of CIRT is an indicator of the serious nature of the crash and its aftermath. While the injured parties are being attended to, the Loveland Police Department has taken the helm of the ongoing inquiry, with the aid of Fort Collins Police Services CRASH team which specializes in Collision Reconstruction and Scene Handling. Thankfully, no innocent bystanders or officers were involved in the physical toll of the chase.
