More than 50 drivers involved in pileup crash as dreadful conditions strike Denver area
By
Mark Puleo, AccuWeather staff writer
Published Nov 22, 2019 6:54 PM EDT
Slick, snowy road conditions are believed to be the cause in a 50-plus vehicle accident on 6th Ave. in Denver, Colorado, on Nov. 21.
Dozens of drivers in the Denver area were on the receiving end of a rude welcome back to winter Thursday night.
After steady snow and a heavy mix of fog and mist blanketed the Colorado capital late Thursday evening, driving conditions quickly deteriorated. As a result, drivers of more than 50 vehicles found themselves in a mangled mess.
The massive pileup occurred on eastbound 6th Ave. right by the Interstate 25 ramp. Due to the accident and the ensuing cleanup, the Denver Police Department was forced to close the road.
“Officers are on-scene with a large-scale weather-related, multi-vehicle crash @ EB 6th Ave & SB I-25,” the department tweeted around 9:30 p.m. Thursday night, adding that no life-threatening injuries were reported.
After a destructive Thursday night, snowplows hit the streets early on Friday morning. Twitter/@ColoradoDOT)
The shutdown occurred just after 7 p.m., local time, on Thursday. Police did report that some motorists and passengers sustained injuries, but none were life-threatening.
Snowfall totals over a 24-hour period in the Denver and Boulder areas ranged from 1-5 inches with a few higher-elevation areas picking up more than 6 inches.
Snowplows were out early Friday morning, according to the Colorado Department of Transportation. (Twitter/@ColoradoDOT)
Reports of traffic accidents spread throughout the state, including a fatal crash, which occurred earlier on Thursday. The Colorado State Patrol reported that a head-on collision between a semi-truck and a pickup truck resulted in the death of the pickup truck's driver.
The accident occurred around 8:30 a.m., local time, while snowy conditions blanketed roads. Colorado State Patrol Troop 4C, which patrols that region, reported on Twitter that drivers should "expect an extended westbound closure of HWY 6 and MP 214 for crash investigation."
According to the DenverChannel.com, more than 5 inches of snow were dumped on the Front Range by the time Friday morning rolled around. The need for snowplows on the streets caused even more issues for drivers.
On Thursday evening, a woman was hospitalized with injuries after a crash with a snowplow in Jefferson County, about an hour west of Denver.
The vast number of accidents in Boulder forced the city's police department to issue a temporary accident alert, meaning that police were unable to respond to the large volume of crashes. On Friday, the department announced on Twitter that extra officers would be on duty to patrol the streets for accidents.
Colorado State Patrol Troop 4C, which covers Garfield, Eagle, Pitkin, Summit and Lake Counties, has urged drivers to travel cautiously this week. (Twitter/@CSP_Eagle)
On Wednesday, multiple crashes at Vail Pass forced the closure of Interstate 70. The crash of a semi-truck was what officially forced the closure of the roadway.
The difficult driving conditions forced state police to begin enforcing the Chain Law. The Chain Law requires drivers of all vehicles to cover tires with chains when the law is put into effect.
"All vehicles need to be prepared to have adequate tires and equipment when traveling in Colorado during the winter," the Department of Public Safety posted on Colorado.gov. "Chain Law and safe tire requirements can be put into effect at anytime for all types of vehicles." Across Colorado, winter weather advisories remained in effect through about midday in many places.
Download the free AccuWeather app to check the forecast in your area. Keep checking back on AccuWeather.com and stay tuned to the AccuWeather Network on DirecTV, Frontier and Verizon Fios.
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News / Winter Weather
More than 50 drivers involved in pileup crash as dreadful conditions strike Denver area
By Mark Puleo, AccuWeather staff writer
Published Nov 22, 2019 6:54 PM EDT
Slick, snowy road conditions are believed to be the cause in a 50-plus vehicle accident on 6th Ave. in Denver, Colorado, on Nov. 21.
Dozens of drivers in the Denver area were on the receiving end of a rude welcome back to winter Thursday night.
After steady snow and a heavy mix of fog and mist blanketed the Colorado capital late Thursday evening, driving conditions quickly deteriorated. As a result, drivers of more than 50 vehicles found themselves in a mangled mess.
The massive pileup occurred on eastbound 6th Ave. right by the Interstate 25 ramp. Due to the accident and the ensuing cleanup, the Denver Police Department was forced to close the road.
“Officers are on-scene with a large-scale weather-related, multi-vehicle crash @ EB 6th Ave & SB I-25,” the department tweeted around 9:30 p.m. Thursday night, adding that no life-threatening injuries were reported.
After a destructive Thursday night, snowplows hit the streets early on Friday morning. Twitter/@ColoradoDOT)
The shutdown occurred just after 7 p.m., local time, on Thursday. Police did report that some motorists and passengers sustained injuries, but none were life-threatening.
Snowfall totals over a 24-hour period in the Denver and Boulder areas ranged from 1-5 inches with a few higher-elevation areas picking up more than 6 inches.
Snowplows were out early Friday morning, according to the Colorado Department of Transportation. (Twitter/@ColoradoDOT)
Reports of traffic accidents spread throughout the state, including a fatal crash, which occurred earlier on Thursday. The Colorado State Patrol reported that a head-on collision between a semi-truck and a pickup truck resulted in the death of the pickup truck's driver.
The accident occurred around 8:30 a.m., local time, while snowy conditions blanketed roads. Colorado State Patrol Troop 4C, which patrols that region, reported on Twitter that drivers should "expect an extended westbound closure of HWY 6 and MP 214 for crash investigation."
According to the DenverChannel.com, more than 5 inches of snow were dumped on the Front Range by the time Friday morning rolled around. The need for snowplows on the streets caused even more issues for drivers.
On Thursday evening, a woman was hospitalized with injuries after a crash with a snowplow in Jefferson County, about an hour west of Denver.
The vast number of accidents in Boulder forced the city's police department to issue a temporary accident alert, meaning that police were unable to respond to the large volume of crashes. On Friday, the department announced on Twitter that extra officers would be on duty to patrol the streets for accidents.
Colorado State Patrol Troop 4C, which covers Garfield, Eagle, Pitkin, Summit and Lake Counties, has urged drivers to travel cautiously this week. (Twitter/@CSP_Eagle)
On Wednesday, multiple crashes at Vail Pass forced the closure of Interstate 70. The crash of a semi-truck was what officially forced the closure of the roadway.
The difficult driving conditions forced state police to begin enforcing the Chain Law. The Chain Law requires drivers of all vehicles to cover tires with chains when the law is put into effect.
"All vehicles need to be prepared to have adequate tires and equipment when traveling in Colorado during the winter," the Department of Public Safety posted on Colorado.gov. "Chain Law and safe tire requirements can be put into effect at anytime for all types of vehicles." Across Colorado, winter weather advisories remained in effect through about midday in many places.
Download the free AccuWeather app to check the forecast in your area. Keep checking back on AccuWeather.com and stay tuned to the AccuWeather Network on DirecTV, Frontier and Verizon Fios.
Report a Typo