A chaotic crash at a busy Aurora intersection Monday evening left a pregnant woman seriously injured, several others hurt and a 34-year-old driver in handcuffs, according to police. The wreck snarled traffic for hours at East Sixth Avenue and North Potomac Street while investigators tried to piece together what happened.
Police tracked an erratic delivery van before the crash
Just before 6 p.m., dispatchers started getting calls about a reckless driver in a white delivery van near E. 6th Avenue and N. Potomac Street. Aurora’s Real Time Information Center spotted the van on cameras and watched as it reportedly jumped onto sidewalks, swerved into oncoming traffic and blew through red lights. Officers moved in to stop the driver, but police say he kept going. The chaos finally ended when the van plowed into multiple vehicles, a collision that authorities say left a pregnant woman with serious injuries, according to Denver7.
Scene, victims and traffic
In the aftermath, Aurora police shut down both Potomac and Sixth so first responders could reach victims and clear the twisted metal. Drivers were urged to steer clear of the area while crash investigators documented the scene. Early information from officers indicated that multiple people suffered serious injuries, and several others were treated for minor wounds at local hospitals, CBS Colorado reported.
Arrest and charges
Police later identified the driver of the delivery van as 34-year-old Chad Gow. He was arrested on suspicion of vehicular assault resulting in serious bodily injury, vehicular eluding, DUI, reckless driving, and resisting arrest. Investigators also say Gow is accused of driving under the influence of narcotics. Those remain allegations while the investigation continues, according to Denver7.
What the charge could mean
Under Colorado law, vehicular assault can be filed when a driver is accused of operating a vehicle recklessly or while impaired and causing serious bodily injury. The offense is defined in Colorado Revised Statutes section 18-3-205. For more on the statute and its elements, see the text of Colorado Revised Statutes § 18-3-205 on Justia. As in every criminal case, the defendant is presumed innocent until proven guilty in court.
