Teen driver in Main Street hit and run appears in court

The Aspen teen charged with striking a pedestrian with her SUV last month and leaving the scene appeared in district court Tuesday for the first time since the incident.

Spencer Diamond, 18, appeared with her mother and Denver-based lawyer by video links in Judge Chris Seldin’s court, but did not speak. Her case was re-set for Feb. 22.

Meanwhile, the District Attorney’s Office officially charged Diamond on Monday with leaving the scene of an accident involving serious bodily injury, a felony, careless driving and infliction of serious bodily injury to a vulnerable road user, both considered misdemeanor traffic offenses.

Diamond allegedly struck Dave Rossi, 58, of Basalt with her Land Rover just before midnight Dec. 22 as he walked in a crosswalk across Main Street in Aspen in front of the Aspen Police Department. A witness told police Diamond then exited her vehicle, looked at Rossi lying in the street, got back in the car and left the scene.

She did not inform police of the incident until after they tracked her down with the help of tips from community members and knocked on her door, Aspen police have said.

Rossi told the Times earlier this month he suffered a head injury that required intensive care for two days, as well as a shattered pelvis in the crash.