A flatbed driver is in police custody and is being charged with multiple counts of vehicular homicide after a fiery crash Thursday afternoon on eastbound Interstate 70 just outside of Denver that involved at least 28 vehicles, including four semis.
The crash occurred just before 5 p.m. Mountain Time, on I-70 at Colorado Mills Parkway, in the Denver West section of Lakewood, just west of Denver.
That section of I-70 remained closed Friday morning and is not expected to reopen until Saturday while investigators go over the scene before it is cleaned up.
Initial reports said that one person was killed in the crash. However, explained Ty Countryman, spokesman for the Lakewood Police Department, it wasn’t until several hours after the crash that the multiple vehicle fires could be put out and authorities could get close enough to the vehicles that more bodies were found. As of Friday morning, there was no official fatality count.
Six people were taken to hospitals with injuries, including the driver of the truck accused of causing the chain-reaction crash. Countryman said did not identify the driver, other than to say he is not a Colorado resident.
A firefighter was also reported to have been slightly injured when a tire exploded.
According to a preliminary investigation, traffic along that stretch of I-70 was already at a standstill due to an accident further up the highway involving a semi and a school bus.
A video that was shot by a motorist who was stuck in the standstill just before the bridge shows the truck passing him on the shoulder at a high rate of speed. Seconds later, the driver exclaims that “something’s on fire” before he turns the camera to show smoke coming out from under the bridge.
Several of the vehicles immediately caught fire after the chain-reaction impact, Countryman said. The multivehicle crash also caused diesel fuel and other flammable materials to spill out onto the highway, which intensified the fire. Photos taken shortly after the crash show several vehicles burning simultaneously, with the load of lumber the flatbed was carrying strewn everywhere.
Josh Laipply, chief engineer at the Colorado Department of Transportation, said the fire was believed to have gotten as hot as 2,500 degrees Fahrenheit, melting aluminum at the scene. Both the road and the bridge over the highway will have to be inspected for damage before they can be deemed safe.
Initial reports by authorities said there was no indication that the crash was intentional or that drugs or alcohol were a factor.
A flatbed driver is in police custody and is being charged with multiple counts of vehicular homicide after a fiery crash Thursday afternoon on eastbound Interstate 70 just outside of Denver that involved at least 28 vehicles, including four semis.
The crash occurred just before 5 p.m. Mountain Time, on I-70 at Colorado Mills Parkway, in the Denver West section of Lakewood, just west of Denver.
That section of I-70 remained closed Friday morning and is not expected to reopen until Saturday while investigators go over the scene before it is cleaned up.
Initial reports said that one person was killed in the crash. However, explained Ty Countryman, spokesman for the Lakewood Police Department, it wasn’t until several hours after the crash that the multiple vehicle fires could be put out and authorities could get close enough to the vehicles that more bodies were found. As of Friday morning, there was no official fatality count.
Six people were taken to hospitals with injuries, including the driver of the truck accused of causing the chain-reaction crash. Countryman said did not identify the driver, other than to say he is not a Colorado resident.
A firefighter was also reported to have been slightly injured when a tire exploded.
According to a preliminary investigation, traffic along that stretch of I-70 was already at a standstill due to an accident further up the highway involving a semi and a school bus.
A video that was shot by a motorist who was stuck in the standstill just before the bridge shows the truck passing him on the shoulder at a high rate of speed. Seconds later, the driver exclaims that “something’s on fire” before he turns the camera to show smoke coming out from under the bridge.
Several of the vehicles immediately caught fire after the chain-reaction impact, Countryman said. The multivehicle crash also caused diesel fuel and other flammable materials to spill out onto the highway, which intensified the fire. Photos taken shortly after the crash show several vehicles burning simultaneously, with the load of lumber the flatbed was carrying strewn everywhere.
Josh Laipply, chief engineer at the Colorado Department of Transportation, said the fire was believed to have gotten as hot as 2,500 degrees Fahrenheit, melting aluminum at the scene. Both the road and the bridge over the highway will have to be inspected for damage before they can be deemed safe.
Initial reports by authorities said there was no indication that the crash was intentional or that drugs or alcohol were a factor.
The Trucker News Staff produces engaging content for not only TheTrucker.com, but also The Trucker Newspaper, which has been serving the trucking industry for more than 30 years. With a focus on drivers, the Trucker News Staff aims to provide relevant, objective content pertaining to the trucking segment of the transportation industry. The Trucker News Staff is based in Little Rock, Arkansas.
