AURORA | Two recent fatal car crashes in Aurora prompted police to ask the public to pay closer attention while driving and obey traffic laws as if they were laws and not suggestions.
Police say an inattentive driver struck and killed a 12-year-old boy July 19 in central Aurora as the boy was crossing East Iliff Avenue at South Wheel Park Circle about 10 a.m. on a scooter in a crosswalk with a signal activated.
“He was using the marked crosswalk and activated the crossing signal, which stops all Iliff traffic,” Aurora police spokesperson Agent Matthew Wells-Longshore said in a statement. “He was then hit by a 19-year-old driver, traveling eastbound on Iliff, who was not paying attention and failed to stop for the signal.”
The boy died a short time after from his injuries.
Unrelated, two people were killed and others injured when the driver of an Audi sedan ran a red light early July 20 in Aurora, colliding with a Hyundai sedan and killing both occupants, police said.
The crash occurred at about 2:45 a.m. in the intersection of East Alameda Avenue and Airport Boulevard and three cars were involved.
Police said a woman, 37, and a girl, 15, were inside the Hyundai, westbound and crossing the intersection with a green light, when the driver of the Audi, 18, and his 16-year-old female passenger, ran through the red light at a high rate of speed, slamming into the Hyundai.
The woman and girl in the Hyundai were “pronounced dead at the scene,” by rescuers, Wells-Longshore said in a statement.
The driver of the Audi was seriously injured during the crash and taken to a nearby hospital. The girl inside his car had minor injuries.
The driver of a third car, which was waiting in a left-turn lane at the time of the crash, also received minor injuries when one or both of the cars collided with his.
“Detectives believe speed and failure to obey the red light were contributing factors,” Wells-Longshore said. “The driver of the Audi remains hospitalized and is not in custody at this time. “
Police did not release new details Tuesday on either of the cases. Aurora Police Lt. Chris Amsler said that police and district attorney investigators will determine what if any charges to pursue in the two fatal crashes.
Amsler said it appears driver distraction and error were to blame in both cases, and both of the fatal crashes could easily have been avoided.
“Do the simple thing, like slowing down, obeying the speed limit. Don’t drive distracted,” Amsler said during a Tuesday press conference. “You know, make sure you’re not texting, make sure you’re not on the phone, make sure you’re not messing with the radio, make sure you’re not eating and doing things that are going to distract your attention off of the road.”
He said above all, driver sober.