A combined 70 vehicles were involved in two massive pileups Sunday as winter weather slammed parts of Colorado.
According to KMGH and KOAA, the first incident occurred in the southbound lanes of Interstate 25, north of Pueblo. About 20 vehicles were involved in the weather-related crash, which left five people hurt and temporarily shut down the freeway, authorities told KOAA. No deaths were reported in connection with the pileup, officials said.
MASSIVE PILEUP ON I-25, NORTH OF PUEBLO: Crews are cleaning up a pile up of at least 20 vehicles on I-25 south near the Purcell exit. A firefighter told me there were at least 5 people with injuries, no one died. The pile up is weather related. I-25 S is open. @KOAA pic.twitter.com/Lxfkd9vlOL
— Carl Winder KOAA (@CWinderKOAA) March 6, 2022
A second pileup involving 50 vehicles occurred Sunday afternoon in the northbound lanes of I-25 in Denver, KMGH and The Denver Gazette reported. The 4 p.m. incident closed the freeway for at least two hours, authorities said. Nobody suffered serious injuries, and it wasn’t immediately clear whether anyone had been cited in connection with the crashes, KMGH reported.
UPDATE: NB I25 is back open .
— Denver Police Dept. (@DenverPolice) March 7, 2022
The Denver Fire Department said at least 50 vehicles were involved. No serious injuries were reported. NB traffic is being diverted onto University https://t.co/P9MJMHXscF pic.twitter.com/IKC8UgCHOZ
— Denver7 News (@DenverChannel) March 6, 2022
On Sunday night, the National Weather Service’s office in Boulder urged drivers to increase the space between vehicles and take other safety measures while driving on icy roads.
“If you encounter wheel-spin, ease off the gas,” the office tweeted. “Spinning your wheels will ‘polish’ the snow and ice, making it more slippery and increasing your chances of skidding out of control.”
When driving in snowy conditions increase your following distance & double the 3-second rule. If you encounter wheel-spin, ease off the gas. Spinning your wheels will “polish” the snow and ice, making it more slippery and increasing your chances of skidding out of control. #cowx pic.twitter.com/uVBHRM7YIJ
— NWS Boulder (@NWSBoulder) March 7, 2022
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