A hit-and-run crash at East Arizona Avenue and South Milwaukee Street in Denver's Cory-Merrill neighborhood left a victim with serious bodily injury Tuesday afternoon, and the driver did not stop. The vehicle involved was a black 2023 Cadillac Escalade with a broken windshield and heavy front-end damage, driven by a woman with brown hair, and it has not been found. The crash happened around 4:45 pm.
The Colorado Bureau of Investigation issued a Medina Alert over the crash on Wednesday, publishing the vehicle's Colorado temporary license plate, 8668753, according to CBI. The intersection sits in Denver's residential Cory-Merrill neighborhood, in the 80210 ZIP code between South University Boulevard and South Colorado Boulevard, according to Realtor.com.
What Is a Medina Alert?
Colorado's Medina Alert system exists for cases like this one, activated when a hit-and-run causes death or serious injury and investigators already have solid leads, such as a vehicle description or partial plate. Lawmakers created the alert network under House Bill 14-1191 in March 2014, and it took effect the following January, giving officers a way to broadcast hit-and-run vehicle details through news outlets and highway message signs, according to CBS Colorado.
The system is named for Jose L. Medina, a 21-year-old Denver parking valet killed by a hit-and-run driver in 2011; his killer was ultimately caught after a taxi driver followed the vehicle and noted its license plate, according to the Colorado Bureau of Investigation. That history illustrates the tip-driven strategy behind the same alert program Denver investigators are now using to try to find the Escalade's driver.
The Felony Charges a Driver Could Face
If identified, the driver could face a Class 4 felony under Colorado's hit-and-run statute, C.R.S. § 42-4-1601, which carries two to six years in state prison and mandatory revocation of a driver's license for leaving the scene of a crash that causes serious bodily injury, according to Justia Law. No charges have been filed since the driver has not yet been identified or located.
