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A pregnant Stapleton mom-to-be lost her 34-week old unborn baby boy after she was hit by a dark SUV at the crosswalk of 29th Avenue on Central Park Boulevard. A tragic hit and run. (See story on 7News)
Residents have been concerned about this stretch for a while, where cars coming into Stapleton from Aurora go too fast without anything to stop or slow them down until the sudden double stop signs at 29th Avenue. With the new interchange at I-70 and Central Park Boulevard being built, new concerns were already being discussed before this tragedy occurred.
From 7News: "We've been looking at it. The city public works department has been out there at least three times that I'm aware of in the past couple of years," said Denver City Councilman Michael Hancock, who represents the Stapleton district.
Hancock said police have also spent time patrolling the intersection after several neighbors expressed concern about speeding and people running stop signs.
"The trailers have been out there, police with radars have been out there trying to calm it down," he said.
7NEWS asked why nothing has changed.
"If the traffic division has not made a change here, there must be something that's within their standards that says we can't make it," Hancock said. "I will tell you, one, it's an ongoing investigation, and two, the public works department and the police department are looking at this intersection quite thoroughly right now, have been, and certainly we have a sense of urgency right now given the situation that just occurred."
What can we, as a community, do to make sure nothing like this ever happens again?
- The Stapleton Moms Yahoo! Group has been on fire with parents offering their heartbreak, condolences, concerns and outrage. They're compiling a list of concerns and solutions to send to various city officials and Forest City. They're also signing up, via a friend of the victim, to deliver meals to the victim and her family.
- The Concerned Resident for Eastbridge Development just last week presented a list of concerns to SUN (Stapleton United Neighbors) and Forest City that included similar traffic issues on Martin Luther King Blvd., on the stretch from Westerly Creek to Havana.
- Prayers. For the victim and her family. And, remarkably, the victim's husband was on the news last night thanking neighbors for their prayers and urging them to pray for the perpetrator -- and urging that driver to do the right thing and turn themselves in.
If you have any information about this incident or to the identity of the driver, please contact the Denver Police Department’s Traffic Investigation Bureau at 720-337-1000 or call Crime Stoppers at 720-913-STOP (7867). You can text to: CRIMES (274637) then title DMCS and enter your message. If the information you provide leads to the arrest and charging of a wanted individual, you can receive a cash award up to $2,000.
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