Saturday, August 26, 2006
By DANIE HARRELSON
The Daily Sentinel
A head-on collision that erupted in flames early this morning on Interstate 70 outside De Beque incinerated one motorist and sent one man to the hospital.
The driver of the charred 2006 Pontiac G6 was seared beyond recognition when authorities reached the accident scene about three miles east of De Beque. Authorities have not yet identified the driver, who was pronounced dead at the scene.
The Pontiac was headed in the wrong direction in the westbound lane of I-70 when it slammed into a 2007 Peterbilt truck with two semi-trailers in tow shortly before 3 a.m. today, according to the Colorado State Patrol.
The driver of the semi, 45-year-old Douglas Powell of Childress, Texas, escaped unharmed. A second man who was sleeping in the semi’s sleeper at the time of the crash sustained moderate head injuries and was taken to St. Mary’s Hospital, the State Patrol said.
“It looked like a war zone,” Trooper Scott Simons said of the fiery backdrop.
The collision ruptured the Peterbilt’s diesel fuel tanks, spilling fuel that sparked a fire and destroyed the Pontiac as well as several acres of brush along the roadway.
Authorities closed I-70 around milepost No. 64 for several hours as fire crews worked to get the fire under control.
The State Patrol said it was unknown if alcohol was a factor in the collision.
The crash remains under investigation.
Pictures: http://tinyurl.com/q9kso
Jim<
By DANIE HARRELSON
The Daily Sentinel
A head-on collision that erupted in flames early this morning on Interstate 70 outside De Beque incinerated one motorist and sent one man to the hospital.
The driver of the charred 2006 Pontiac G6 was seared beyond recognition when authorities reached the accident scene about three miles east of De Beque. Authorities have not yet identified the driver, who was pronounced dead at the scene.
The Pontiac was headed in the wrong direction in the westbound lane of I-70 when it slammed into a 2007 Peterbilt truck with two semi-trailers in tow shortly before 3 a.m. today, according to the Colorado State Patrol.
The driver of the semi, 45-year-old Douglas Powell of Childress, Texas, escaped unharmed. A second man who was sleeping in the semi’s sleeper at the time of the crash sustained moderate head injuries and was taken to St. Mary’s Hospital, the State Patrol said.
“It looked like a war zone,” Trooper Scott Simons said of the fiery backdrop.
The collision ruptured the Peterbilt’s diesel fuel tanks, spilling fuel that sparked a fire and destroyed the Pontiac as well as several acres of brush along the roadway.
Authorities closed I-70 around milepost No. 64 for several hours as fire crews worked to get the fire under control.
The State Patrol said it was unknown if alcohol was a factor in the collision.
The crash remains under investigation.
Pictures: http://tinyurl.com/q9kso
Jim<
