VAIL – Three of the people who were injured in a deadly 70-vehicle pileup on Interstate 70 had gotten out of their car and were running for cover when they were hit, according to a report released on Tuesday.
The Colorado State Patrol says the pileup involved three separate chain reaction crashes. The highway was closed for most of the afternoon and evening because of the crashes.
The first started just after 2 p.m. on March 31 on Vail Pass. About 20 vehicles crashed and about 12 people were injured.
The next chain reaction crash happened about 10 minutes later, involved 11 vehicles and started when a semi truck jackknifed and blocked all the westbound lanes. Lance Melting, 39, crashed his minivan into the truck and was killed. His wife was injured but has been released from the hospital.
During that second chain reaction crash, three passengers in a Suzuki, Tina, 43, Alyssa, 15, and Adrina Rosati, 11, all got out of their SUV and were running for cover when State Patrol says they were hit by other vehicles. They all suffered moderate to serious injuries and were taken to the hospital.
The third chain reaction crash happened five minutes later and involved about 29 different vehicles, but no injuries were reported.
State Patrol says the crash is still under investigation, but says since many of the people left the scene because they only had minor damage to their cars, it may never be known just how many vehicles or minor injuries were involved.
State Patrol investigated reports that a person lost their legs at the scene of the crash, but found no evidence that had happened.
According to State Patrol, no charges are expected to be filed and it blames the crashes on adverse weather conditions.