Thursday Crash Involving Semi Injures One, Closes Interstate 70

An accident on Interstate 70 Thursday critically injured a driver and shut down the interstate for several hours.

According to Colorado State Patrol, Thursday afternoon a semi-truck struck a pick up pulling a trailer that had broken down and was stopped on the I-70 shoulder near Georgetown. The CSP says the driver suffered critical injuries and was helicoptered from the scene. The crash shut down the eastbound lanes of Interstate 70 for about five hours between Silverthorn and Georgetown.

The crash, which occurred just before 2:00pm Thursday is being investigated, but the Colorado State Patrol says it does not believe impairment or excessive were factors. It was simply an accident that happened. CDOT says the interstate was fully open shortly before 7:00pm.

Accidents are nothing new on Interstate 70 and this unfortunate crash reminds us of the potential danger we face every time we travel the I-70 corridor. The volume of traffic is large, the speed is high and there are many variables in play. In some cases, it's impairment that causes accidents, and sometimes it's distracted driving. It only takes a moment for something bad to happen.

In response to this accident, the Cripple Creek Sheriff's Office posted a critical reminder to motorists to slow down and move over.

Colorado law states that when a vehicle is stationary, towing, or utilizing emergency lights you need to move over to the farthest lane away from that vehicle. If you cannot move away than you need to slow down to at least 20 mph below the speed limit. If this law was followed tragedies like this would not happen.  - Cripple Creek Sheriff's Office

This Colorado law is well-worth mentioning because we all have witnessed motorists who seriously fail to slow down and/or move over for slow or stopped vehicles alongside the road. It only takes a few extra seconds of time to slow down and practice safe and precautionary driving strategies. It's also a good idea to never stop on the shoulder of the interstate unless it's an absolute emergency.