Responsibility for deadly Thornton I-25 crash up in the air after Uber driver leaves woman on interstate
Just 30 minutes into the new year, a woman lost her life on I-25 after being dropped off there by a rideshare driver. It's a strange and tragic situation that has the public asking who is at fault.
Married couple, Mike and Roxy, were driving home from New Year's Eve festivities, with their kids in the backseat, when they witnessed something horrific.
"I haven't stopped thinking about it," Roxy said.
Around 12:30 a.m., while driving northbound on I-25 towards the 470 interchange, Roxy noticed a woman who looked like she didn't know where she was in the road.
"I saw a woman just standing like on the dotted line in the middle of the road, so I started to slow down but I noticed the truck in front of me wasn't slowing down," Roxy said.
That truck swerved in attempt to avoid the woman but still collided with her. Glass and debris from the truck came flying at the couple's car, and they swerved to avoid hitting the woman themselves.
The truck drove off without stopping. Police are not calling this a hit-and-run, saying the driver might not have known they hit someone. But witnesses disagree.
"He kept going; he didn't slow down or stop at all. But by the way he swerved, there's no doubt that he knows he hit her," Mike said.
The couple immediately pulled over and called the police. They didn't see what happened to the woman after that, but Thornton Police Department says she was struck by a second vehicle. That driver did pull over, but the woman did not survive.
Police say the woman had walked into the roadway after getting sick in a rideshare car. That driver pulled over on the interstate, ended the ride and drove off.
"To hear that he just dropped her off on the side of the highway with nowhere to go, not knowing her state of mind at all, just leaving, is baffling to say the least," Mike said.
Many online commenters seem to agree with Mike, saying that rideshare driver should be held responsible for what happened.
Thornton PD, however, say the driver has no culpability, and they're not even looking to speak to that person. They are hoping to speak to the driver of the truck, but again are not calling this a hit-and-run. That truck is described as a 2002 to 2009 dark-colored Dodge Ram pickup truck. If you think you know the driver, contact Thornton PD.
RELATED: 1 dead after getting hit by cars on Interstate 25 in Thornton