COMMERCE CITY, Colo. – Police say they are unsure whether the 11-month-old girl killed in a car crash Saturday night was in her car seat when the crash happened but say they haven’t found evidence her mother was at the time.
The young child died after being hospitalized due to the crash, which happened around 9:30 p.m. Saturday near E. 80th Ave. and Monaco St.
Commerce City police said Tuesday that the woman, who has not been identified at this time, was driving her Mercedes SUV eastbound when she hit a pickup truck parked in a designated parking area on the south side of 80th Ave. east of the railroad crossing.
It’s unclear how fast the woman was driving at the time, but police say the pickup was moved from where it was parked when the SUV hit it and that the SUV ended up across the street.
Police said they found the woman slumped unconscious across both front seats of her vehicle and that a neighbor was holding the child once officers arrived.
They said officers found a child’s car seat secured in the back seat but said investigators haven’t determined if the child was in the seat and properly restrained when the crash happened. However, police wrote in a news release that there was “no evidence” showing the girl’s mother was buckled in.
Police say they believe speed and alcohol were both factors in the crash. The woman remains hospitalized but is stable, the department said. The child's identity has not been released.
The 17th Judicial District Attorney’s Office will make the final determination on what, if any, charges the woman might face as a result of the crash and investigation.
