Five injured when car jumps curb at CAT bus stop

Thursday, July 14, 2005 | 11:08 a.m.

Police this morning were searching for a car that hit a CAT bus stop shelter, injuring five people.

The crash occurred about 7:45 a.m. on Desert Inn Road near Boulder Highway, Metro Police said. A light-colored compact car was heading east on Desert Inn when the car drifted to the side of the road, jumped the curb, hit the shelter and kept going, Sgt. Chris Jones, Metro spokesman, said.

The five people who were waiting at the bus stop suffered injuries ranging from mild to moderate, none of which appeared to be life-threatening, Jones said. The five were being treated at area hospitals, he said.

The scene this morning was similar to one from the morning of March 14 when a sport utility vehicle rammed into a bus stop on Smoke Ranch Road at Rock Springs Drive, killing a 36-year-old woman and three Cimarron-Memorial High School students.

The driver in that wreck was cited for speeding and failing to stay within the travel lane but was not charged with the deaths because she was able to blame her prescribed medication for the crash, so the existing laws could not be used to prosecute her, District Attorney David Roger said.

This helped spur the 2005 Legislature to adopt a law that will allow authorities to more easily level charges of vehicular manslaughter against motorists who cause a fatal collisions. It takes effect Oct. 1.