A state trooper and a training cadet were injured early this morning when a driver lost control of his SUV and slammed into their cruiser on Interstate-70 near Silver Plume.
Trooper Randy Noftsger, a two-year veteran based in Idaho Springs, received “moderate” injuries and Cadet Gabriel Easton received minor injuries. Both were taken to St. Anthony’s Central Hospital in west Denver for treatment.
According to the State Patrol, the two had pulled over just after 6 a.m. to assist a westbound vehicle that slid off the left side of the roadway into the median.
While sitting in their cruiser, a blue 1997 GMC Yukon traveling westbound lost control and slid into them, totalling the cruiser from behind.
The driver of the GMC was identified as Eduardo Vargas-Palacios, 26, of Denver. Neither he nor his two passengers were injured.
Running a background check, officers assisting at the scene learned that Vargas-Palacios had an outstanding felony warrant for an immigration deportation violation. They contacted immigration officials, who arrested the three and transported them to an immigration facility.
