A car crashed into a building in downtown Denver, CBS News reported.
CBS News reported the early-morning crash at 20th and Curtis.
The crash damaged the 20th Street Recreation Center.
Another Downtown Vehicle Crash
A driver was arrested near 20th and Larimer streets after running a red light and striking three pedestrians in a crosswalk, per 9News KUSA. That crash left one victim, Izabella Gomez, in critical condition and required bystanders to lift the vehicle off a trapped victim.
Vehicles crashing into buildings have also happened elsewhere in Denver. In May 2025, two construction workers were injured and hospitalized after a vehicle crashed through a different Denver building, 9News KUSA reported at the time. Emergency crews transported both workers from the impacted structure.
Rising Traffic Deaths Across Denver and Colorado
Denver recorded 93 traffic fatalities on city streets in 2025, according to Axios, the highest tally since 2013 and 13 more than the prior year.
Statewide, preliminary data from the Colorado Department of Transportation, cited by Conduit Law, showed 701 roadway fatalities across Colorado in 2025, with excessive speed cited as a factor in 232 of those fatal collisions and impaired driving deaths rising to 235 statewide.
What Colorado Law Requires After a Crash
Colorado law sets clear obligations for drivers involved in a collision like Wednesday's. Under Colorado Revised Statutes § 42-4-1606, drivers involved in crashes resulting in property damage or personal injury are required to notify police immediately and remain at or return to the scene as directed, according to Justia Law. Investigating officers are also required to file a state accident report within five days.
Separately, state regulations mandate that a collision be reported to law enforcement whenever property damage is estimated to exceed $1,000 or if any injuries occur, according to 5280 Injury. Given the visible structural damage described in the crash, that reporting threshold would likely apply here. If the driver fled before police arrived, the case would fall to the Denver Police Department's Traffic Investigations Unit, which handles an average of 446 hit-and-run investigations per month across the city, per the Law Office of H. Michael Steinberg.
The structural extent of the damage to the 20th Street Recreation Center, the official cause of Wednesday's crash, and whether any charges will be filed remain open questions as Denver police continue investigating.
