DENVER — A Denver man said Friday he's lucky to be alive after being seriously hurt in a hit-and-run crash while riding a scooter in downtown last month.
The crash happened near the city's Westside neighborhood at around 12:51 a.m. on April 21.
Moises Bañuelos said he was riding a scooter near the intersection of W. 14th Avenue and N. Mariposa Street when he was struck by a driver. Bañuelos suffered serious injuries due to the collision with the vehicle.
He told Denver7 Friday the worst of it was two broken legs and a fractured skull.
"I don't remember like, actually getting hit," he said. "Thank God, he wrapped his hands around me and my memory. I don't remember, like the impact, the trauma and nothing like that. I just remember waking up in the hospital."
He was also shocked to find out that the driver who had hit him had fled the scene.
"I was kind of disgusted. I was like, who just leaves somebody like, on the side of the road to just die," said Bañuelos.
Denver police identified the driver as Nhi Than and arrested her days later. She was charged with leaving the scene of an crash involving serious bodily injury, according to Denver police.
Despite everything he's been through, Bañuelos remains in high spirits.
"I'll just say like, value your life, like, don't take it for granted," he said. "Just be super grateful for your family. If they're still here, still alive. Like, show them some love."
DPD officials said that as of May 4, there have been 122 crashes in Denver resulting in serious bodily injury (SBI). Of those 122 crashes, 34 involved a pedestrian suffering SBI.
The percentage of pedestrian-involved SBI crashes is down 15% compared to 2023, according to officials. DPD also tells Denver7 that from Jan. 1 to May 4 of this year, there have been 56 pedestrian involved hit-and-run crashes.
Bañuelos told Denver7 he has set up a GoFundMe to help out his mom, who has had to cut on job hours to help her son through his recovery. You can donate here.
To view this infographic in fullscreen mode, click here. Data was provided by Denver's Vision Zero dashboard.
