Thirteen illegal immigrants were taken to a hospital after a van they were riding in crashed on Interstate 70 on Friday afternoon.
The victims were taken to a hospital for treatment, but none of the injuries were life-threatening, said Master Trooper Ron Watkins of the Colorado State Patrol.
The van rolled on the eastbound side of the interstate between Morrison Road and the Lookout Mountain exit about 2 p.m.
The accident was probably caused by a blown tire, Watkins said.
It wasn’t immediately clear if the van was designed to hold that many passengers or if everyone was wearing a seat belt, Watkins said.
“We see this happen a lot,” he said. “Usually they just pack them in and there is not enough seats and not enough seat belts.”
An investigation was being conducted by U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement to determine whether the immigrants were being smuggled into the country at the time of the crash.
Traffic was backed up for a couple of hours because only one lane was open during the investigation.
Just over a month ago, one person was killed and 21 injured when a pickup truck carrying illegal Mexican nationals crashed on U.S. 160 about a half-mile from the Wolf Creek Pass summit.
Five Guatemalans were killed in January 2004 when a GMC Yukon carrying 11 illegal immigrants swerved off Interstate 76 near Roggen. The driver in that case was sentenced to 46 months in jail.
Staff writer Felisa Cardona can be reached at 303-820-1219 or fcardona@denverpost.com.
