Pedestrian Struck, Seriously Injured by RTD MallRide in Downtown Denver

The pedestrian's condition is unknown.

March 13, 2025

Image: Blood is seen on 17th Street following the crash.

Blood is seen on 17th Street following the crash. Haley Metzger

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An RTD bus hit a pedestrian in downtown Denver on Thursday, March 13, resulting in serious injuries.

A puddle of blood was visible at the scene Thursday afternoon in the bus lane around ten to fifteen feet from the crosswalk. The pedestrian was alive when rushed to the hospital but their current condition is unknown, according to the Denver Police Department.

The collision happened at noon near the corner of 17th and Champa streets, outside of the Tea Cloud shop in the Central Business District neighborhood.

In a social media post, police said the crash occurred between "a motorist and a pedestrian," but did not mention that the vehicle was an RTD bus. Photos of the scene show that it was a MallRide bus, which provides free transport up and down the 16th Street Mall.

Due to ongoing construction on the 16th Street Mall, the MallRide buses have detoured onto 15th and 17th streets, the latter of which is where the pedestrian was hit.

Spokespeople for the Denver Police Department and RTD say they currently have no information about what led up to the crash. RTD confirmed their bus was involved in the collision.

"Denver police are investigating," the RTD spokesperson says.

Police say 17th Street is closed east of Champa Street as of early Thursday afternoon.

Hannah Metzger is a staff writer at Westword, reporting on news, arts and culture since joining the staff in October 2023. She previously worked at publications including Colorado Politics and the Denver Gazette, where she covered the Colorado Legislature, the Denver and Aurora city councils and breaking news. Hannah has been honored with numerous awards from the Society of Professional Journalists, Colorado Press Association, Colorado Student Media Association and Denver Press Club. She graduated from the University of Colorado Boulder with a major in journalism and a minor in political science.

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