Denver Hit and Run – Striking Fixtures or Traffic Control Devices

C.R.S. 42-4-1605 + 42-4-1606

If you hit a sign, guardrail, light pole, traffic signal box, or any other highway fixture — and leave without reporting it — Colorado treats it as hit and run.

Even though no person was injured, prosecutors take these cases seriously because they involve public safety property.

A conviction creates a permanent criminal record and can suspend your driver’s license.

✅ What Colorado Law Requires

C.R.S. 42-4-1605 (fixtures/devices) + C.R.S. 42-4-1606 (duty to report)

If you strike a fixture or traffic control device, you must:

1. Stop at or near the scene.
2. Notify the road authority in charge of the property.
   • Example: CDOT, City of Denver Traffic Engineering, county road & bridge, etc.
3. Provide your identifying information:
   • name,
   • address,
   • vehicle registration number.
4. Report the accident as required by 42-4-1606.

➡️ The duty to report is on you, not the officer, not the property owner.

It does not disappear just because someone else may report it, or because a camera or passerby “saw what happened.”

Failing to complete these duties = Class 2 misdemeanor traffic offense.

⚠️ Penalties

Even hitting a sign with a bumper and driving away can become a criminal case.

🛠️ How These Cases Are Investigated

Fixtures and traffic devices almost always involve:

• pole-mounted cameras,
• traffic signal logs (yes, they track impacts),
• CDOT maintenance reports,
• LPR (license plate reader) hits near the scene.

Investigation often begins with:

• a letter requesting proof of insurance, or
• a detective asking to “inspect your vehicle.”

You are not required to give a statement or agree to a voluntary vehicle inspection just because someone asks.

Defense Strategies

Common defense angles include:

• Identity: Can the state actually prove who was driving?
• Knowledge: Did you reasonably know contact occurred?
• Compliance: Did you attempt to report it? (Documented effort matters.)
• Constitutional issues: Vehicle inspection / statements obtained improperly.

The goal: stop this from becoming a criminal conviction + license suspension.

📌 Related Colorado Hit-and-Run Pages

Looking for a different type of hit-and-run defense?

👉 Hit & Run – Attended Vehicle (Driver/Passenger Present)

👉 Hit & Run – Vehicle Unattended / Other Property

👉 Hit & Run – Injury (Misdemeanor)

👉 Hit & Run – Serious Bodily Injury (Felony)

👉 Hit & Run – Resulting in Death (Felony)

Why Experience Matters

With 20+ years defending hit-and-run charges across Colorado, I know:

• how CDOT / city reporting works,
• how police reconstruct “fixture strikes,” and
• how to negotiate before charges harden.

You don’t talk to intake people.

You talk directly to me.

📞 Call Me

Charged with hit and run involving a sign, guardrail, or traffic control device?

Call 303-355-5148 for a free consultation.

You’ll speak directly with me — not a screener, not a junior associate.