Army veteran says he is being denied a driver's license due to others who share his common name

Hope Schreiber
·Writer

An army veteran , who became paralyzed while serving as a helicopter pilot in Afghanistan, is facing another struggle after finishing rehabilitation at Craig Hospital in Texas. His new home state, Colorado, has allegedly refused to issue him a driver's license for the past two years due to his common name — and his Texas license expires at the end of May.

“The timeline is growing ever shorter. It’s not my job. I’ve served my country. I’ve sacrificed enough," David Ortiz told Fox31 Denver.

A hold has been placed on the name "David Ortiz" in New Jersey and New Mexico due to traffic infractions they have not taken care of; as a result, Colorado's Ortiz is suffering the repercussions.

The Colorado DMV website reads, "License suspension and revocation information is shared with all 50 states. No state may issue a driver license if there is an active suspension or revocation in any other state." Licenses can be suspended for different reasons, varying from state to state, but could include failure to pay for a traffic ticket or due to a medical condition that would make you a danger on the road.

“I cannot be the only person in the country that this happens to with a very common name,” Ortiz told Fox31. “If you have the first and last name and there is a hold on the national database, you have to resolve those issues.”

Ortiz says that New Jersey sent him a "no match" letter in a matter of weeks, but New Mexico wanted him to appear in person.

“I took time out of my busy schedule and spent my money to drive down there, get a hotel room,” he said. “Got the court case thrown out. When I received the documents from the court, I was told this would be sufficient and remove the hold and get a driver’s license."

Ortiz presented to the documents to the Colorado Department of Motor Vehicles — however, he was denied again.

FOX31 Problem Solvers reached out to the DMV on behalf of Ortiz, but were not able to solve his issue.

"I am being punished for simply having the same name as these other individuals," Ortiz told the outlet. "Why me? I think I have the opportunity to shed light on this issue and make sure it doesn't happen to anyone else."

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