AURORA, Colo. (KDVR) — Students gathered at the scene of a deadly crash on Monday in Aurora to remember the young victim they called a friend.
They gathered at the crash site outside a Sprout’s grocery store near East Alameda and South Chambers Road.
Police say two drivers were street racing when one of the vehicles lost control just before 1 a.m. Saturday. The Aurora Police Department said two cars were street racing when the driver of a BMW failed to negotiate a curve. A police affidavit states the car was traveling at a high rate of speed and left the roadway.
Yolanda Hernandez told FOX31 she was in the front passenger seat when the car crashed.
“I was just closing my eyes. I didn’t think about it. I just closed my eyes,” Hernandez said.
Hernandez said the young man who died was also a passenger in the car and that he was like a brother to her.
As of late Monday evening, the identity of the victim who died had not been released.
Aurora police say the 19-year-old driver of the car that crashed, Edwin Rosales-Sandoval, had a previous DUI and a revoked license and should not have been driving. The police department announced Monday that Rosales-Sandoval is now facing charges that include vehicular homicide, reckless driving, DUI and driving with a revoked license.
Since October of last year, Aurora police say, there have been 1,130 accidents involving drivers 19 and under. Of those, 34 were DUI-related and 122 involved speeding. However, this is Aurora’s first fatal DUI crash involving a driver under 20 years old this year.
“We can prevent a lot of these accidents that are taking place. This particular incident was reckless and irresponsible,” Aurora Police Deputy Chief of Special Operations Division Kevin Barnes.
The 18th Judicial District Attorney Amy Padden says a number of DAs are working on proposing legislation to toughen DUI laws that could focus on drivers with previous DUI incidents.
“I’d like to see the penalties enhanced for that. In particular, we are looking at ways to make vehicular homicide either a crime of violence that would increase the penalties or somehow add some aggravating factors,” Padden said.
Back at the memorial, Hernandez says she just feels lucky to be alive. She believes her seatbelt helped save her life.
Sandoval, the driver of the car, is now facing a number of charges in connection with the fatal accident including vehicular homicide, driving under the influence and driving while license was revoked.
Anthony Sutton is a business strategist and writer with a passion for management, leadership, and entrepreneurship. With years of experience in the corporate world, he shares insights on business growth, strategy, and innovation through management-opleiding.org.
