Colorado Springs man hits neighbor with car after parking dispute, police say
Mackenzie Stafford
COLORADO SPRINGS, Colo. (KRDO) – On July 18, 2026, at approximately 10:05 a.m. Colorado Springs Police Department (CSPD) officers responded to Sand Mountain Point for a hit-and-run traffic collision involving a vehicle and a pedestrian, the department says.
Officers say the driver fled the scene before they got there. Police later identified the driver as 85-year-old Donald Laughlin.
According to arrest records obtained by KRDO13, Laughlin is accused of intentionally hitting his neighbor following an altercation over a parked vehicle.
Officers located the victim, who was transported to a local hospital with serious but non-life-threatening injuries, according to police. On Monday, KRDO13 spoke with the victim, who said his spine was shattered from the incident.
The victim tells KRDO13 that he was out walking his dog when it happened. He recounted feeling as though he was going to die in that instant. He said he saw the truck coming at him and worried for his and his dog’s safety. His dog was not harmed.
The victim said he broke his spine in multiple places. He says he has a long road to recovery ahead, one that is much more difficult due to another accident he was in two years prior. He says in that instance, he broke more than a dozen bones. He was just healing from that when this occurred.
CSPD says officers conducted an on-scene investigation, collecting evidence and obtaining witness statements. According to arrest records, witnesses told police they saw a man in a truck speed around a roundabout, hit a man and send him flying onto the sidewalk.
Police say the parking dispute began when the victim’s sister parked in front of Laughlin’s garage. Laughlin was still able to get out, but he reportedly cursed out the family as he backed out of the driveway before allegedly hitting the victim with his truck.
The victim’s family tells KRDO13 they had to park there to bring their elderly mother into her home, and that Laughlin still had room to get out.
Based on the information gathered, officers determined the incident was an assault and adjusted their investigative approach accordingly, reports CSPD.
During the investigation, police say Laughlin arrived at the police station, where officers took him into custody on assault related charges.
Police said Laughlin did not give a statement in person, but he called 911 after the crash and told the dispatcher he had “bumped” his neighbor and that his neighbor might be hurt because he was on the ground when he left.
Laughlin is currently being held in the El Paso County Jail and faces a first-degree assault charge.