DENVER — A family-owned car dealership could be out thousands of dollars after a car plowed into the lot and smashed six vehicles early Saturday morning, the Denver Police Department said.
Police said the crash happened after 2 a.m. Saturday. The driver, Reimundo Bermudez, was traveling eastbound on Alameda Avenue when he lost control of the vehicle.
He had a passenger in the vehicle but neither one was were seriously injured. Police arrested Bermudez for driving under the influence of alcohol and reckless driving.
Six vehicles for sale at Kar Kompany located at the corner of West Alameda Avenue and South Dale Court were totaled in the crash.
Witnesses said Bermudez lost control about a block west of the dealership.
“I heard the acceleration of a car behind me going like really fast,” said Jermaine Alvarado, who witnessed the accident. “So I got scared for myself and I pulled into the turning lane real quick.”
Alvarado said the vehicle was excessively speeding, hit a pole on the south side of Alameda and ricocheted across all lanes until his vehicle came to rest at the dealership on the north side of Alameda.
“He sped around us going like at least 150. I want to say it was 150. It was super fast,” he said. “Anybody that’s going to go that super fast going down Alameda and Federal, I’m sure that they have to be drinking.”
The owners of Kar Kompany discovered the damage around 7 a.m. Saturday.
“Everything is broken. There is about six or seven cars smashed,” Jabran Amjad said.
Amjad’s father, Javed Amjad, started the business more than 30 years ago. It has been family owned and operated ever since.
The damaged vehicles include a 2005 Ford Explorer, a 2003 Jeep Liberty, a 2005 Mitsubishi Outlander, a 2004 Ford Expedition, a 2004 Chrysler Town & Country and a 2004 Honda CRV.
Those are some of the best cars on the lot because the dealership parks its top inventory along Alameda to attract business.
“Those are the high-end cars that we keep on the front line,” Amjad said.
At least five of the six cars are totaled. The owners estimate there is about $50,000 worth of damage, which is more than a third of its annual sales.
“It’s going to be hard to recover,” Amjad said. “Hopefully, if that person did have insurance then we’ll be OK. If not, then it’s a personal loss.”
Kar Kompany has insurance, but the owners believe it will not cover the cost of all of the damage from the crash.
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