The former head of the El Paso County GOP is facing a wrongful death lawsuit in a 2017 auto-pedestrian crash that killed a local businessman.
A complaint in 4th Judicial District Court alleges that Trevor Dierdorff was negligent in a March 28 crash that caused the April 2 death of Mel Tolbert, longtime owner of Platte Floral near downtown Colorado Springs, as he tried to cross a downtown street.
The lawsuit was filed Dec. 4 by Tolbert’s widow, Dianne.
It marks the latest chapter in a controversial case in which El Paso County District Attorney Dan May, a prominent Republican, overrode Colorado Springs police by tossing a traffic citation police had filed against Dierdorff – arguing that because Tolbert was jaywalking, Dierdorff couldn’t be held liable.
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