Van-semi crash, second accident injure 9
By Jim Kirksey
Denver Post Staff Writer
A van shuttling passengers from Denver International Airport to mountain ski resorts was rear-ended by a tractor- trailer on Interstate 70 in Aurora on Thursday evening, trapping one person in the van, Aurora police said.
That person was extricated and airlifted to Denver Health Medical Center, Lt. Gary Millspaugh said.
Eight other people from the accident and a subsequent crash resulting from the slowing traffic were taken to local hospitals with injuries varying from moderate to minor, Lt. Charles Holzheimer said.
No names were immediately available.
The Colorado Mountain Express van, with a driver and seven passengers, was westbound on I-70 between Chambers Road and the Interstate 225 flyover when it was apparently struck in the rear by the 18-wheeler about 6:20 p.m., police said.
As traffic slowed to avoid the wreck, two other vehicles were involved in a secondary accident, Holzheimer said.
"At this point we're still investigating who is at fault," Holzheimer said. "We don't know the cause."
He said the department's motor- carrier specialist was called to aid in the investigation. The highway was expected to be closed until about 10 p.m. for the investi he added.
Tom Ball, vice president of Colorado Mountain Express, confirmed that seven people in the van were hospitalized, but he didn't have any details about the crash to share.
"As you can guess, most of our guests are traveling to mountain ski resorts. We are helping them get in contact with their families," Ball said.
The company advertises that 330,000 travelers choose its service every year for transportation between the airport and Vail, Beaver Creek, Breckenridge, Copper Mountain, Keystone, Aspen, Snowmass and Glenwood Springs.