Motor vehicle accidents frequently prove devastating to friends and family alike, and that may be particularly true in cases left unprosecuted. Two years ago, a Littleton family was injured in a car accident caused by the former Garfield County sheriff. However, it has been alleged that little action was taken in that case - though troopers have now supposedly found a prior citation for careless driving against the former sheriff that somehow did not earlier turn up.

The accident happened in 2009 and injured both of the parents and their daughter. It appears that the former county sheriff may have received special treatment by the Colorado State Patrol. Normally after motor vehicle accidents, the driver suspected to have caused the crash is checked for any possible impairment such as blood alcohol content. It appears that this did not happen here.

The family has now filed a lawsuit alleging not only did troopers fail to check the former sheriff for impairment, but that they also did not check out any witnesses. The family is now seeking compensatory and punitive damages in the matter.

Car accidents like the one that affected the Littleton family are often tragic, but that tragedy is compounded when police do not fully investigate the matter. Nonetheless, the family may still file a personal injury lawsuit in civil court against the former sheriff (if they have not done so already). Here, the family seems to have been injured through no fault of their own and as the result of someone else's negligent conduct. That may thus entitle them to seek compensation for their injuries from the former sheriff.

Source: The Republic, "Lawsuit claims troopers covered up former sheriff's crash that injured family," The Republic Staff, Dec 12, 2011