TORRINGTON – The Torrington Police Department responded to a report of a vehicle and pedestrian collision at Main Street (Highway 85) and Valley Road (Highway 26) at 7:02 a.m. on Wednesday, Oct. 26.
According to a release from the department, “A pedestrian was struck by a vehicle that subsequently left the scene of the accident. The pedestrian was transported from the scene by ambulance for serious injuries.”
The victim in the collision, Andrea Griffin, remains hospitalized in Greeley, Colorado. According to family members, Griffin was in surgery for six and a half hours and sustained three skull fractures, cheek factures, lacerations to her face, a hip replacement, a severely injured left arm which resulted in two plates and 28 screws, a broken left wrist and a broken elbow.
The Torrington Police Department turned the investigation over to the Wyoming Highway Patrol due to a noted conflict of interest for the department’s involvement in the investigation.
“As our officers were conducting the investigation into this collision, we became aware of a conflict that had the potential to damage the integrity of the investigation and negatively impact future prosecution of the case,” Torrington Police Chief Matt Johnson explained. “To alleviate this concern, I contacted the Wyoming Highway Patrol and requested their assistance with the investigation. The Wyoming Highway Patrol graciously agreed to assist and dispatched a Trooper with specialized training in accident investigation and reconstruction.”
Wyoming Highway Patrol Lieutenant Andrew Frye told the Telegram the collision remains under investigation. Frye said the trooper investigating the matter is a traffic reconstructionist and the nature of his skills and expertise are best suited for investigations of this kind.
The Telegram will report more on this matter when more information becomes available.
Johnson added, “Because this investigation is being managed by the Wyoming Highway Patrol, Torrington Police Department will not be able to provide any additional information until their investigation is complete.”
