UPDATE: Rollover Accident Due To Excessive Speed
According to a Colorado Springs Police Department incident report released Wednesday, a rollover accident near the intersection of Academy and Palmer Park boulevards was due to excessive speed.
The police investigation revealed that a 1997 Oldsmobile sedan was westbound in the left lane of Palmer Park when it ran the red light at Academy, lost control, and ran off the left side of the road. The car struck a retaining wall and became airborne, crashing into the back yard of a home on Delaware Drive.
Adam Weitzel said he saw the car before the crash. “A black sedan came screaming through the intersection,” he said. “It was going the wrong way, so fast that it shook my vehicle.”
“There’s estimates between 80 and 100 mph,” said fire department spokeswoman Sunny Smaldino about the vehicle’s speed.
The accident, which happened just before 10:30 a.m., caused excessive damage to the vehicle and the fence and gazebo of the home.
“Just as I picked up the newspaper, I hear this loud crash,” said homeowner John Vonato. “I see this car coming through, smoke coming out. I see this lady trying to get out the back window. She was hollering that she needed to get out of the car because it was on fire.”
The driver of the vehicle, Crystal Graves, 45, was transported to a local hospital with serious, non-life- threatening injuries. Graves was charged with the following citations: possession of drug paraphernalia, traffic control signal legend, roadways laned for traffic, careless driving and reckless driving. Graves also had a misdemeanor warrant active for her arrest. According to the incident report, excessive speed caused the accident, not drugs or alcohol.
The accident forced the temporary closure of eastbound Palmer Park while the vehicle was removed from the scene. Crews had to ventilate smoke out of the home.
Vonato said he recently retired and installed the wood fence two weeks ago.
“Obviously, the gazebo can’t be replaced,” he said. “That’s got a lot of sentimental value. My son and I built it.”
Some phone service in the area was temporarily lost when the car knocked down a bank of phone lines.
