I-70 Bridge Fatal Semi Crash Closes Highway

EMPIRE, CO -- A man was killed and a woman injured Tuesday morning in a crash that left both lanes of I-70 closed after a semi truck jumped lanes on the highway into oncoming traffic and then wedged under a bridge. The Colorado Dept. of Transportation reported a significant closure on I-70 near Empire Junction at the 232 mile marker where traffic was detoured onto a frontage road near Empire. Police are still diverting traffic and conducting an investigation.

Around 10:30 a.m., the westbound semi crashed through the barrier, cross into eastbound I-70 and struck the bridge, CDOT spokeswoman Stacia Sellers said Tuesday. CDOT opened westbound traffic around 3 p.m. but eastbound was closed and would only be open one lane, Sellers said, until the truck was removed. Heavy tow trucks were on the scene to try to pull the stuck truck fro under the bridge.

"Right now we have Hazmat removing fuel from the truck," Sellers said. Two other vehicles were also damaged in the crash, which also damaged guardrails on I-70 and on top of the bridge.

Sellers asked drivers not to rubberneck the accident. "It's important not to be distracted drivers," she said.

"We believe no drugs or alcohol was involved [in the crash]," said Sgt. Josh Lewis of the Colorado State Patrol. Whether the male driver had a medical incident was unknown. Lewis said the condition of the female passenger in the truck was unknown.

Image via CDOT

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