One adult has died and a youth hockey player was in critical condition following a crash on I-70 near Herman Gulch that involved a snowplow and a youth hockey team Thursday morning.
Colorado State Patrol responded to the crash at 8:53 a.m. in the eastbound lane near milepost 216. Troopers said the crash involved a CDOT snowplow, a Sprinter van carrying the SC Flyers under-12 girls hockey team, and two additional passenger vehicles.
The team was in Colorado from Santa Clarita, California, for a Western Girls Hockey League tournament.
“We’ve been proud of these girls all season,” Prescott Littlefield, president of the SC Flyers, told CPR News. “We will do everything in our power to support them through this.”
There were 10 occupants in the Sprinter van at the time of the crash. The driver was pronounced dead at the scene. One youth player was taken by helicopter to an area trauma center with critical injuries. Seven other passengers, including four kids and three adults, were transported by ground to a separate local hospital.
According to Denver Health, all four children have been discharged or are in the process of being discharged. Two of the adults are in serious condition, and one is in fair condition.
One adult passenger refused to be transported. There were no reports of injuries from the two other vehicles involved.
The Colorado State Patrol’s preliminary investigation found that the CDOT plow truck was traveling westbound on I-70 when the driver lost control.
The plow truck traveled through the median, broke through the cable rail, and went into the eastbound lanes. It collided with a Toyota Tacoma that was traveling eastbound. The Toyota went through the median and struck a BMW traveling westbound in the westbound lanes.
The plow truck then continued eastbound and struck the Sprinter van that was also traveling eastbound. The Sprinter van ended up down an embankment, and the plow truck came to rest on the shoulder.
The crash remains under investigation by the Colorado State Patrol Vehicular Crimes Unit.
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