Aurora driver pleads guilty in fatal hit-and-run that killed man, dog

Aurora resident Luz Buitrago is supposed to be enjoying retirement and celebrating a latest th wedding anniversary with her husband Instead she s worried whether the man who pleaded guilty in his death will serve any jail time at all Rafael Alberto Buitrago was killed while walking his dog the night of April when Michael Graham-Hyde crashed into him near East Wesley Drive and East Caspian Circle and fled the scene according to court records Graham-Hyde reported police he had been awake for hours after returning from an overseas trip and was asleep at the wheel when he hit Buitrago and the couple s dog Nova according to an arrest affidavit He got out of his SUV saw Rafael Buitrago and panicked choosing to drive away when he saw another car coming because he thought the other driver would stop and help police wrote in the affidavit Buitrago was pronounced dead at the hospital and Nova was killed instantly police reported Graham-Hyde turned himself in seven hours later after seeing a Nextdoor post of his car and learning that Rafael Buitrago was killed Why did he have to wait Luz Buitrago described The Denver Post this week Seconds make a huge difference in this particular situation If he had called maybe my husband would be in a wheelchair and he would be with me Graham-Hyde pleaded guilty to leaving the scene of an accident involving death a class felony on Monday according to court records The charge includes a prospective prison sentence of four to years though probation is also doable The plea deal dropped an additional charge of careless driving resulting in death from his situation court records show Rafael Buitrago was a beloved member of his district Luz Buitrago noted particularly for the kindness and respect he manifested every person he met He worked in accounting and was working in district operation through the couple s church While Luz Buitrago declared she knows Graham-Hyde didn t intend to kill her husband she s frustrated by the possibility that he may be sentenced to probation and that Aurora city agents have not taken procedures to make the street where Rafael Buitrago died any safer such as adding a speed bump We have to respect other people s lives and they have to change the law she explained Probation is unacceptable In a declaration Aurora spokesperson Ryan Luby stated the city s community works crew reviewed traffic content after the crash and revealed there were not any speeding-related crashes in the area in the last three years After a traffic research that ascertained bulk drivers were speeding at to mph along East Wesley Drive populace works crews installed curb extensions at a trail bridging and push-button flashing crosswalk signs he revealed The city urges all drivers to put their phones down stay focused on the road and follow traffic laws Luby disclosed in a report The decisions made while driving can have lasting and life-changing consequences Graham-Hyde is scheduled to appear in court for a sentencing hearing on Sept according to court records Related Articles Motorcyclist injured in Denver hit-and-run on I- under I- overpass One person injured in Denver hit-and-run police search for suspect Bicyclist injured in Englewood hit-and-run police find involved car Hit-and-run driver injures Denver cyclist police searching for subjects Man arrested in hit-and-run that killed Denver bicyclist Sign up to get crime news sent straight to your inbox each day