Mourning mom wants new hit-and-run law
Says hit-and-run penalty too weak to deter drivers
By James Baetke, Daily Camera
Tuesday, September 2, 2008

Three months after her 19-year-old daughter was struck by two separate hit-and-run drivers and left for dead on a busy highway north of Longmont, Judy Lujan's pain and frustration are still evident.

"I have nothing but contempt for anyone who could drive off and leave a fellow human being to die on the highway like roadkill," Lujan said.

The mother and about three dozen friends and family members gathered for a tribute Saturday at the spot on U.S. 287 near Vermillion Road where her daughter, former Boulder High School student Cerridwyn "Kerry" Lujan, was killed.

Those close to her helped dedicate a sign there in her memory and want harsher penalties for hit-and-run drivers.

Gatherers wept as a ceremonial prayer was chanted by an American Indian elder, blessing her and the roadside memorial. The site features a sign that reads in part: "Please Drive Safely. In Memory for Kerry."

"The sign shows that somebody who was loved was killed here," Judy Lujan said. "I still can't believe my daughter is gone."

Kerry Lujan was drunk and standing in the middle of the highway early May 20 when she was hit by a Nissan Pathfinder, according to police.

The suspected driver, Jeremy Raisch, 34, of Windsor, surrendered to police about 10 hours later and faces charges of leaving the scene of an accident, a felony, and failing to provide police with information, a misdemeanor.

Based on a witness account, authorities are still looking for a second driver who hit Kerry Lujan after she was already struck.

Although there's no evidence Raisch was under the influence of alcohol, Judy Lujan said it's haunting to think that the drivers may have been drinking and knew they'd be in more trouble if they stopped. She's lobbying state lawmakers to strengthen the penalties for hit-and-run accidents.

"I would like someone to have as much to lose for hitting-and-running as people driving under the influence," she said Saturday. "It's to the driver's advantage not to stop."

According to Colorado laws, a drunken driver who kills somebody faces a charge of vehicular homicide, a Class 3 felony punishable by four to 12 years in prison. Leaving the scene of a fatal accident is a Class 4 felony, punishable by two to six years.

During Saturday's dedication, Kerry Lujan's friends read letters saying goodbye and released balloons with personal messages written on them.

"You are always going to be with me," one message read.

Another said: "Feel Da Breeze, Thunderchief, Ure here."

Eli Lujan, the victim's brother, held back tears as he described the difficulty of dealing with his sister's sudden death.

"This sign is a permanent marker of what happened," he said. "Kerry was a pesky kid sister and always wanted to follow me around.

"I wasn't there for her the way I wanted to be, and her death taught me not to take things for granted."

Anyone with information on the second driver suspected of hitting Lujan is asked to call the State Patrol at 303-239-4583.

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