A 39-year-old man was taken into custody on suspicion of vehicular homicide and suspicion of DUI after his passenger allegedly opened the door of his moving Jeep and suffered a fatal fall.

The driver was reportedly traveling the wrong way along a Denver street at the time. Following the incident, the passenger was taken to Denver Health Medical Center and pronounced dead upon arrival. The medical examiner had not yet ruled on the cause of death of the 50-year-old man, who was a Denver firefighter.

The accident occurred as the driver traveled westbound in the eastbound lanes on Cherry Creek Drive North. The passenger opened his door as the Jeep traveled toward University Boulevard at about 12:30 a.m.

The investigation is continuing, as police want to know why he wanted to get out of the vehicle, how fast it was traveling, and the driver's blood alcohol content. Blood tests were performed on the driver, and investigators were awaiting the results.

The arrested man had also worked as a South Metro firefighter, rising to the rank of lieutenant before resigning from his job in 2007. The department had hired the two men on the same day, and they graduated from the same training program.

There still appears to be more questions than answers when it comes to this case. And while police continue their investigation, it is important not to prematurely judge the driver. It is still a mystery why the man tried to get out of the vehicle, which led to his death, and the driver is afforded the assumption of innocence.

Source: The Denver Post, "Fall from moving SUV kills South Metro firefighterDavid Sparky Truax," Jordan Steffen, Dec. 24, 2011